Neon Genesis Evangelion: EVA Reborn
by Emerald Sonata
Summary: All Angels, dead. The EVAs, deep in slumber. NERV, disbanded and Seele, lost. 27 years later, NERV arises with a new form of Evangelion to protect Tokyo-3 from an entirely new threat...that could bring the end of the world.
1. Contact 01: On Defence

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**Any author-original Characters/Mecha/Items/and others will be tagged with '*'.**

**This is set several years after the following conflict of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, created and owned by Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

Neon Genesis Evangelion: EVA Reborn

_Contact 01: On Defence_

My head tilted off an angle and I felt it drop forward. A fearful surge went up my spine as my consciousness slowly awakened. I must have dozed off, I thought to myself. As my eyes opened, something took me completely off guard…everything was pitch black.

Was I blind?

Suddenly, bright light flooded before me. It stung my eyes and they began to water like a well. Ow…guess not. I rubbed my sun-glared eyes with my left hand and I blinked them open. Oh yeah, I remember now.

I was sitting in a small but cozy compartment of a solar powered magnetic train. How I knew it was not a normal train was the fact that I barely felt any small bumps or rocking whatsoever. It was as if this train was gliding on air.

I shook off the thought as I straightened. Several strands of my mid-length amber hair fell off of my shoulder and across my chest. I turned to look out the window. I could see my reflection against it, despite the bright light flooding into the compartment.

I saw my own deep blue eyes and a timid complexion. In particular I leaned a little closer to see my two hair bands on the top left and right corner of my head. They were a simple pair of cherry-like spheres that tied a small bundle of hair, like miniature pig-tails. I clearly remember how my mother loved the way I set my hair, she said it reminds her of the days she had long ago, exciting days.

Actually come to think of it, I thought, I was on my way to that very place; the place where my mother used to live and spent **those** days. It was called Tokyo-3. Speaking of which…

I sat up straight in my seat and gazed down at my lap. I saw my black and silver framed laptop opened in front of me, on top of a folded table of the train compartment. It was pitch black, but transiently it flashed several spots of green light. I touched its mouse-pad and it brightened to life. It automatically reopened something that I was typing at, before I dozed off.

It was my email to my mother. I leaned closer to the screen, against the glare of the sun, and started to check over my letter. I always have this sticky habit of double checking my work…maybe that is why I finished university at age 16. Mother once mentioned that I had her smarts.

'_April 20, 2042._

_Dear Mother:_

_As you asked of me, I am on my way to Tokyo-3, that place you used to live in the past. _

_I still remember those special, yet scary, bedtime stories you've once told me; monsters coming down from the sky to take over the world and how giant robot knights defend the planet. Though I know such monsters and knights don't exist, I find that Tokyo-3 being an actual place is intriguing._

_Back to the task at hand, I am currently taking the train there, as you instructed. The only question is: who is this friend of yours that I am meeting? Is he a scientist? If he is or not, why would he be interested in my research project of energy generation and consumption?_

_I have so many questions to ask you, while you're back in Switzerland, but I could not help one thing. The land I am going through is amazingly beautiful in nature. Trees stand as high as buildings, rivers wind through the forests like roads, the lushes land makes you feel really at home._

_I hope to see you again soon, mother, after I pass my research information to your friend. If you get this message, let me know what souvenir you want as soon as possible.'_

I smiled as I finished up the rest of the message by typing my name in.

'_Love your daughter: Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham*_

_P.S. I really really love you mother [^_^]!'_

I could not help a giggle as I sent the message through wireless internet. My laptop notified me of a successful transfer and I turned it off. As I closed it I took a moment to survey the outside scenery again.

Everything outside was a beautiful sight. Healthy green trees stand at guard over the soft forests, birds fluttered about in the air, and patches of colourful flowers spied on me from behind walls of rock and trees. My smile widened, but suddenly it flattened without me even knowing it. I could not believe what I saw.

I pressed both hands against the window. I pulled my face closer to its glassy surface. I stared out in wide-eye horror. I just could not believe it.

Outside the window, far from the train yet felt close, was a massive crater. It was filled to the rim with glistening water. How I knew it was not another lake: there were no lakes in history that has a perfect circle shape…only man-made lakes can do that…destructively man-made…

A shiver coldly drenched down my spine.

*****

I heaved my heavy suitcase after me as I exited the train station. I made it to Tokyo-3. I stopped for a second and stood up straight. With the back of my arm I wiped off the sweat from my forehead. I took a moment to adjust my favourite wide-brimmed summer hat, with a violet ribbon wrapped around the top with a pretty butterfly tie. It was hot, really hot.

I hefted the backpack on my back, a special one designed as a teddy bear with a wide tummy. I looked left and right at my surroundings. It was quiet, really quiet. Actually there was absolutely no one at all.

Both the city streets and the train station terminal were completely void of life. Not even a raven popped out of no where to scare me. Heat waved from the concrete ground, playing with my vision like a frightening mirage. I only saw hundreds of buildings being constructed or reconstructed, my guess at a dead-slow pace. It was a ghost city.

I shrunk my arms closer to my body as I held onto my backpack's straps with anxiety. Anyone here? I thought. I quickly took out a photo from my pocket. My mother's friend said that this person was going to pick me up. I had forgotten to look at the picture when I first received mother's friend's note, the old fashion way: a letter by mail. Now that I looked at it, I knew that I would have a lot of doubt in coming here at the first place.

The photo was of a woman, possibly older than 30 years old. I could not tell for sure, I knew how women like me are sensitive about revealing such life-changing secrets. Just judging by the look of this women in the photo, I guess she could blankly tell you without even caring. She had long wavy dark purple hair, a pair of sophisticated yet lazy eyes that wearily stared at the camera, and wore a mismatch set of clothing of a tank-top, Jeans, sunglasses above her head, and no socks. She was drinking some sort of canned beverage while glaring, or blankly staring, at the one who took this photo. I felt a sweat drop hovered across my head.

I flipped the photo around and there was a hand-written signature at the bottom-right corner. _'Misato-chan'_. My eyebrow twisted with anxiety and utter confusion.

Who was this woman?

*****

"AAAAACHOO!"

A woman in her late 40s sniffed as she rubbed her nose with her slender finger. She raised her head to eye-level and glared off into empty space.

"Okay, who's talking behind my back…"

This woman had long deep purple hair, hard yet strangely kind and lazy eyes, a fit body, and a half-grin on her face. She wore a set of military uniform that belonged to that of an unpublicized faction, with the level of a Deputy Commander. Her hair was tied to the back of her head by a red hair clip as she blankly stared ahead of her path. She gave a wide yawn as she lightly patted her mouth.

"Still can't get used to waking up this early," she mumbled.

She was walking down a long and somewhat narrow corridor, made out of steel and state-of-the-art secured computer technology. She came up to a thick and sturdy iron blast door, its jaws clenched to prevent passage. She sighed.

"Open sesame," she mumbled. In seconds, she swiped a white ID card down a nearby card scanner. A screen at the level of her head flickered green letters to life, along with an image of her face that had a pretty and fresh smile on it: Misato Katsuragi.

The door yielded after acknowledging her identity and split itself open with a hiss. Misato, unimpressed, stared at the fearsome opening of the doors' jaw. She nonchalantly stepped right through it. Just after she passed the threshold, the door closed and her feet faltered. She lightly bolted forward, as if her body was pulled the other way. She turned.

A corner of her, slightly over-large, uniform got caught by the doors' teeth. If it had an ability to smirk, now would have been the time. Misato narrowed her eyes.

A foot, in a black high-heeled shoe, flew and stomped onto the face of the door. After a painful second, the doors hissed open and released Misato's uniform.

"Stupid door," she muttered. The door closed again, this time avoiding to snag anything else of hers. She dropped her foot to the ground, spun on her heels, and marched off, "Okay people, what's the sit'ch?"

She strode up to the end of a platform, she appeared on, and looked over the railing. She was within a massive dark chamber that housed several military command platforms with hundreds of computers, holographic screens, several wires of thick and thin sizes, and only a crew of less than eight people.

One level down was another platform, commandeered by three personnel, of the overall eight, and one empty seat. They each rapidly typed their fingers across their consoles. Several digital screens brighten to life. Holographic data analyses were rapidly projected around them. Their eyes glimpsed from one screen to the next.

A young man with short spiky dark brown hair leaned in closer to a screen that had just glided up to his vision. He adjusted his brown rimmed glasses across his nose bridge as they reflected the exact images of the screen. His working table had several opened manga of various titles, a mug that was half full with cold coffee, and several crumpled balls of paper cluttered in on corner. He quickly adjusted something to his computer and brushed apart a pair of paper balls away. At the same time this revealed a small table-sign with a name inscribed onto it: Makoto Hyuga.

"We've got contact. Early warning signals of 1000 km radius went off exactly 23 minutes ago!" called out Hyuga.

Misato raised an interested eyebrow, "What is it? A plane? A stray warship? A pelican that ate something metal…" She frowned and let out an irritated breath, "God, I hate it when that happens…"

To Hyuga's left was man with long hazel hair, similar to heavy-metal guitarists' lengthy hairstyle. He had stern narrow eyes and a deep-in-thought complexion. Balanced beside him was an electric guitar, its black and white lacquered flesh scarred and dulled out. His table-sign nearby him had his name inscribed onto to it: Shigeru Aoba. He lightly rubbed his right eye for a moment.

"This thing's not man-made that's for sure! This sucker's moving 215 km/h and getting faster," replied Aoba.

Finally, the last of the three computer technician was a female. She had short brown hair, round eyes that were prepared for even worst-case scenarios, an elegant figure, and a strong yet soft voice. Across her clean and tidy desk was her table-sign exposed clearly in bold black letters: Maya Ibuki.

"Commencing a comparison scan on the unidentified object to any possible creature or vehicle…Results show zero possible matches," reported Ibuki.

Misato passively stared with weary eyes at a large holographic and three dimensional map of a city, that hovered in the center of the entire room.

"Ibuki," answered Misato in a flat tone. Ibuki swivelled around on her chair and looked up, "Run it through the **other** scanner…"

A quick flash of fear crossed Ibuki's eyes. Even Aoba and Hyuga lifted their heads to nervously look at Ibuki from the corner of their eyes. Ibuki shook of the tingling feel that ran down her spine. She whirled back to her screen and boldly faced her duties.

"Aye-aye, ma'am."

Misato let out a short and shaky breath, her expression never changed. That was when she noticed the fourth and empty seat to Ibuki's right, "Say, where's…"

"Here." Everyone turned to their right, at a door that had just opened to flood in a small flash of bright light. A figure stepped into the command room as the door slid close. She halted under the command post's dim lighting.

It was a young woman. She had long and curly golden blonde hair, neatly combed eyelashes, rose-pink lipstick, a milky white complexion, and a pair of cold blue eyes. She placed one hand on her hip as everyone stared at her. She also donned on the tan-colored uniform of a computer technician and wore long white skin-tight pants that went with it. Though everyone in the command room knew who she was, and have worked together before, they could never get over the fact that she looked like she was still in the middle of high school; for she was still in the middle of high school.

She gave a loose and lanky salute to Misato, "Deputy Commander Misato. This is Kiera Ichikawa*, reporting for supposed duties."

"Where were you anyway?" whispered Hyuga.

Kiera threw Hyuga a nasty look that even made Ibuki shiver, "What do you think? I was in the bathroom!"

Aoba grimaced and turned back to his computer screen, "For nearly an hour?" Without warning, a large and thick Chemistry textbook flew and smashed into him at the back of his head, "OW! HEY YOU BRAT!"

Kiera stood straight, almost innocently, as she smirked, "Never question a lady's sense of time whenever we go the bathroom! Besides, I had to reapply my make-up, otherwise this dankly room will ruin my complexion."

Misato slapped a hand to her face as she sighed, "Ichikawa, Ichikawa…"

Aoba rubbed the back of his head with a snarl. He snatched up the book and angrily tossed it into a nearby recycling bin.

"HEY!" shrieked Kiera. She was about to run to the recycling bin until she heard Misato call her.

"Never mind that, Ichikawa, I'll get it back for you later before you have your midterm today, okay?" she groaned, "can you please just get into your seat and be on stand-by in case this situation turns ugly…"

Kiera stood up straight and placed on hand on her hip. She raised an eyebrow, "What situation?"

Ibuki's computer screen suddenly blared a warning signal. Everything cleared across its surface and was replaced with a black screen, with large bold electric red letters:

BLUE BLOOD MATCH: CONFIRMED ANGEL.

Ibuki gasped in terror. Hyuga bolted up from his seat in surprise. Aoba calmly remain seated as he stared at the words from over his shoulder.

"You…can't be serious," uttered Ibuki. Kiera was speechless.

Misato still had her usual weary expression as she blankly stared at the words below her. She simply blinked and started to rummage through her pockets.

"**That** situation," she muttered. She pulled out a small red box, with the word POCKY written on it. With her thumb, she flipped open its lid.

"Okay everyone, you know the drill…sort of…" uttered Misato, "either be on the ready…or hope it's another false alarm."

Ibuki, Aoba, and Hyua returned a nod and immediately turned back to their computer screens. Kiera lightly shivered.

"Afraid, Ichikawa?" asked Misato. Kiera blankly turned to Misato. The Deputy Commander gingerly pulled out a chocolate covered cracker-stick and lightly nibbled at it with her lips, "You shouldn't be. You're or boy's field operator…right?" She snapped the Pocky stick in two and munched on the top half through her lips.

Kiera snapped out of her reality, as if the Pocky caused it to happen. She recomposed herself and spun of her heels, "O-of course not! Watch a pro at **real** work!" The young woman breathed out an 'hmph' and spun her swivel chair around. Just as she plopped herself down, she nearly fell of its edge when it suddenly turned back to its original spot. She squeaked with surprise, but quickly slapped her mouth to silence it.

Ibuki, Hyuga, and Aoba all gave her quiet looks. They turned back to their work.

Misato rolled her eyes and started to nibble at her Pocky again. She leaned forward and pressed a button on another metal desk to her right.

"Hey you there? This is Central Dogma, get your butt over here right this instance…" Misato straightened a little bit as she finished up the rest of her Pocky. She kissed her fingers and looked up.

High above her head was a massive symbol painted in slightly faded red colors. It was of a large Japanese Maple leaf, cut in half and placed on an angle. Four letters were painted over the empty half, slanting downward across the leaf's side: N E R V.

Misato Katsuragi stretched a short and dreamy smile, while she read a half-ring of words that completed the symbol's overall circle.

'_God's in His Heaven. All is right with the world.'_

"You better get over here quickly," smiled Misato, "Commander Ikari…"

*****

700 km off the coast of Tokyo-3, sailed a heavily armed and armored warship, _Sekai no Tamashi_ of the Japanese Defence Force, with powerful naval cannons. Several guns across its sides and deck shimmered as if freshly spit-shine and waxed off.

Captain Ryokai Uchinaga* quietly walked across the deck of his ship. With silent and hunter-like eyes he scanned the distance horizon of the peaceful ocean. He took in a deep breath and let it out in one refreshing moment.

"What a beautiful day…to bad I couldn't go fishing with my grandson on such fine weather…" he sighed.

Suddenly, something surged in the back of his mind. It was as if something was telling that this moment of peace, will be soon to shatter.

"Captain!" Uchinaga perked his head up at the call of his title and turned. It was one of his marines, but only paler looking than before, "Captain! Unidentified object is heading into Tokyo-3 sea territory at high velocity. Your orders?"

"Binoculars." The marine instantly saluted and pulled out a pair of binoculars from his gear he wore. The Uchinaga held him to his eyes and adjusted the sighting, "Where?"

He needed not to ask, for he saw it. It was unbelievably large; that was the first thing that popped into Uchinaga's head. It was as massive as an American aircraft carrier and despite its size it practically glided across the water like a speed-boat. It was covered in tight and thick armor, almost fashioned to be like the shell of a turtle, crossed with an armadillo. It was triangular in overall design, as if it can be used to split battle-cruisers into clean halves.

"Impossible…" breathed Uchinaga.

The marine stood at attention, "Your or−"

"Fire at will!"

Without seconds wasted, _Sekai no Tamashi's_ guns spun on their heels and howled out a devastating cannon-fire. Several .50 and .70 calibre turrets and smaller cannons, turned and opened fire like mad.

The strange-ship ploughed through the ocean, large waves of sea flew behind its trail. Tiny bullet-fires deflected off of its tough hide. Cannon shells screamed through the air and collided with the strange-ship head on. Still the strange-ship continued on, unfazed.

A cold shiver went down Uchinaga's spin. That was until another set of ballistic barks snapped him out of his fear. He turned and spotted a battleship, with more cannons on its deck than he had ever seen. It was the _Umi-Kenshin_, thought Uchinaga.

The _Umi-Kenshin_ fired all guns directly at the strange-ship. Despite the effort though, the strange-ship simply took the full brunt of the attack. It started to turn off a little from its original course. Uchinaga's eyes' widen with shock. _Umi-Kenshin_ was now in the strange-ship's path.

Before he knew it, the strange-ship slipped right through the battleship. Seconds later, the battleship was sliced into two halves and a loud eruption took place. Its main engine was critically hit. Without less then a minute the entire battleship, as long as a skyscraper itself with over 100 000 pounds worth of armor plating, sunk like a broken paper boat.

Uchinaga could not believe his eyes as he watched one half of _Umi-Kenshin_ sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Finally, he watched helplessly as the strange-ship quickly made its way to Tokyo-3 in the horizon beyond.

*****

"Target has bypassed main JDF defensive fleet. It is now 10 km to Tokyo-3 and closing fast!" cried Hyuga.

"JDF battleship _Umi-Kenshin_ has been completely sunk!" exclaimed Ibuki.

"Geez…and that was one of the JDF's most prized ships…" muttered Aoba.

"Okay…we've got a problem…" whispered Misato. She snapped off another half of a Pocky and quickly munched on it. She leaned over to the desk and pressed the intercom button, "Commander, Commander, hurry it up. I think we have a real sit'ch on our hands!"

"Sorry I'm late."

Misato perked her head up with realization. Ibuki, Aoba, and Hyuga immediately turned around in their seat, stood up to full height, and offered the new entrant a crisp salute.

"Commander Ikari, sir!" they cried in unison.

Kiera was so in-depth in her work, she practically missed what her fellow technicians just mentioned. When she realized what they said, she sprang up to her feet, straightened her NERV uniform collar and salute more strictly than she had ever done.

"C-Commander Ikari, sir!" she yelped.

Misato nonchalantly turned her head up at an angle and looked up with her eyes. She smiled cheerfully at the person behind her.

"Yoooh!" she smirked.

A tall thin man stood behind Misato with a calm and quiet composure. He had deep blackish brown hair and had deep hazel eyes. He glanced at everyone in the command post of Central Dogma through his pair of yellow-tinted sunglasses with silent, yet not hostile, eyes. He was clean shaven as he stretched a peculiar half-grin.

"At ease. Please carry on," spoke Commander Ikari in a soft, yet charismatic tone.

Instantly Ibuki, Hyuga, and Aoba simultaneously turned on the spot and sat back into their seats, continuing on with their work. Kiera, on the other hand, was a tad bit slower in reaction. She nervously turned and sat back in her chair trying to get back to work.

"Ichikawa-san," said the Commander.

"H-hai!" squeaked Kiera. She jumped in her seat and turned to look at the Commander. She was surprised to see him still grinning as he gazed at her.

"We may need your help again, like last time…are you ready for it?" he asked.

Kiera was taken aback. She recomposed herself and stared right back at the Commander with utmost confidence, "Definitely! I won't let you down!" With a proud smile, she turned around and got straight into her work.

"What took you?" asked Misato with a sly grin.

Ikari lowered his gaze a little, "I went to visit him…sorry it took this long."

Misato never turned her head, but gazed at him from the corner of his eyes. She changed her grin into a comforting smile.

"Can't get enough of him, can't we?" she asked. Ikari nodded. Misato instantly turned her attention to the task at hand, "Okay people, tell us again what we got here?"

"We've picked up an unidentified object heading straight for Tokyo-3!" reported Hyuga.

"A JDF battleship has been destroyed and the object is still continuing toward us," added Kiera.

"It is currently 1000 miles away and in less than 25 minutes the object will hit our coastline," said Aoba.

"It has been confirmed that that…" spoke Ibuki, but her voice choked for a second, "the old Angel confirmation system has acknowledged the object to be of Angel origin."

Commander Ikari said nothing at first. He immediately set himself into the seat of the metal desk. He folded his hands in front of his mouth and the light reflected off of his glasses.

"So…they finally made their move…" uttered Ikari.

"Your call," said Misato.

"All stations go on full alert. Increase maximum situation status: Red Level 4. Begin transformation sequence of the city defence systems. Start preparing for anti-Angel assault."

"YES SIR!"

Misato grinned as she watched every one work as diligent as they can, "This is no longer a feint I suppose, they really are coming…"

Commander Ikari stared at the holographic model of Tokyo-3 that floated in the center of Central Dogma, "The servants of the world when it was merely a newborn; the protectors of the natural order that govern the laws of the stars and the universe; the harbingers of oblivion to sinful mankind; the sibling species of the Angels…Requiems…"

*****

I let out a long and exhausted sigh. When is she going to be here?

I was sitting on top of my briefcase as I hugged my teddy-bear backpack. Under the hot and dry weather, I waited for exactly two and a half hours for this _'Misato-chan'_. Maybe she was caught up in traffic. I came to realize the mistake to my theory when I remembered I was smack dab in the middle of a ghost-city. I sighed again.

"So tired…and hot…" I breathed. That was when I heard something.

I perked my head up as I heard a strange sound. It sounded like an airplane about to fly over my head. The noise grew louder and louder as I searched the skies. Strange, I thought…there's nothing.

A loud eruption nearby took me completely off guard. A powerful gust of wind nearly shoved me off my seat as I braced myself against it. It was so sudden I could only gasp with surprise. What…was that? I turned to the source of the noise. My eyes widened tremendously. Oh my God.

Several meters parked away from me, was this giant space-ship like object. Its metal skin was dark forest-green and looked like a shell of a tortoise, only deadlier. It had torn through several buildings as it was unevenly balanced against the broken concrete. I leaned back a bit to look behind it. I gasped again, at the sight of total destruction that trail hundreds of miles from here and all the way to the exposed coastline. A shiver crawled down my spine.

Suddenly, I heard a hiss. It was followed by mechanical thunks and gear shifts. To my surprise, the strange space ship started…to move. It separated itself into various parts, mechanically changing every second. It was transforming somehow, from its ship form into a growing humanoid form. Bulky armored legs outstretched, giant robot arms pieced themselves together to become longer, and it started to stand as several parts of its body finished its changes.

I did not know what to say. The giant robot stood almost as high as a building. Its head popped out of its chest and its final transformation was completed. The head had a single v-shape eye and a pupil-like light skimmed across it from side to side. It turned to look around it and noticed the half-demolished building, which it smashed through from its recent landing. The robot stared at it for a long and quiet moment. Suddenly, it swung a massive arm into that building and it was immediately destroyed.

I could not scream, both my voice locked with fear and I lost my breath. What was this thing? This iron monster?

As if it had heard my thoughts, the robot turned to me.

Though I could not scream, my soul did it for me.

*****

"Requiem has reached the heart of Tokyo-3 and has transformed into Goliath form!" shouted Hyuga.

"That's the second time I've seen an enemy like that…" breathed Aoba.

Within Central Dogma, an aerial camera was active and was on live-feed to the command post's main massive plasma screen. They watched in silence from its landing to its transformation. All of them were stunned in with shock at the sight, all but two.

Misato had a full Pocky hanging out of her mouth, like a straw, and she lightly played with it with her lips, still looking weary and unimpressed. Commander Ikari still had his hands folded in front of his face, concealing the lower half of it from other's eyes.

"This is the first time that a Requiem has ever set foot on Tokyo-3…" spoke Misato, her Pocky still hanging on her lips. She turned to Ikari as he stayed silent, "What now?"

"Misato!" called Ibuki.

Misato perked her head up at the name and turned to Ibuki, "Yes?"

Ibuki too turned to Misato, only her face was pale, "There's a civilian in the city."

Everything went silent.

Misato never changed expressions, but blinked, "What?"

Ibuki turned around and pressed a button. The main plasma screen was immediately cleared of the Requiem attack, to a more focused view of the city streets. At first it was empty, but that was when a figure ran across the street.

Misato and the others could not believe their eyes. Even Ikari could not help a gasp.

"That can't be possible," uttered Ikari, "Tokyo-3 has already been evacuated several years ago and forbidden access to anyone other than us. Who is that?"

"Analyzing now!" called Ibuki.

In seconds the plasma screen focused closely on the figure, revealing her identity. It was a young girl, with a tank-top and pink skirt. She had a wide-brim summer hat on her head that concealed what she looked like. That was when a gust of wind blew it right off her head. Misato gagged and froze with horror. Her Pocky fell out of her lips.

"Freeze frame!" called Ikari. Ibuki did.

The image stopped, with a clear look on the girl's identity. She had mid-length amber hair, deep blue eyes, and a frightened look on her face.

"KEIKO!" screeched Misato. Ikari nearly fell out of his seat. He turned on Misato with a fearful expression.

"WHAT?!"

Suddenly, Misato realized something and she slapped her face, "Shoot! I forgot to pick her up at the train station!"

Ikari gasped and he turned back to the image of Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham. Without another word, Ikari bolted from his seat and ran for the door.

"Wha-hey! Where are you going?!" cried Misato, frantic.

Ikari had just open the door when her turn to her over his shoulder, "Prepare Unit-01 for launch!" He ran out of Central Dogma.

Misato quickly called after him, "What? Again?! Wait! Shinji-kun!"

*****

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

I leapt forward just as a massive arm nearly swiped my head off. Instead, it totalled another building, what would have been an apartment complex. Dust and rubble rained down over my head, but I knew I can't stop now.

Its after me, why?! I had no time to think at all as I sprinted down the empty street.

"HELP!" I screamed. No use. Of course, ghost-city. I could not believe my lu-

Suddenly, the ground behind me shattered and a powerful force threw me off my feet. I sailed across the air and crumbled painfully across the street. I felt every inch of myself snap into many pieces. Though I knew I was not paralyzed, I felt like my body can't move. I wearily gazed up at the sky. It was filled with the smog of destruction, as the sun tried to reach its rays of light to me. A large figure loomed over my body.

The machine merely stared down at me, as if waiting and watching me die. I can't die, I don't want to die. Even if I did…I wish to die in my mother's arms.

The machine had enough of looking at me. It started to raise its foot over where I laid. It's strange…I don't feel afraid, only sad. A tear rolled from my eyes and down my cheek.

Good bye, mother…

*****

Misato lurched forward over the metal desk and slapped its surface with her right hand.

"ALL TOWER GUNS, TARGET REQUIEM AND FIRE!"

*****

I heard something. I struggled to glance around me as whirring noises caught my last moment of attention. It was the buildings. Like the machine above me, they too started to transform.

They swiftly opened up to unfold multiple cannons. They turned like tower guns and fired straight above me. The shots collided with the machine and it was forced backwards. Its foot also stepped away from me as it stumbled backwards from multiple cannon-fire.

Somehow I felt strength return to my body and I tried to at least sit up. I looked around at the tower guns. They kept firing as the machine stumbled. It quickly regained balance and stood sturdy on the ground, the attack no longer having an effect on it. The machine leapt up high into the air and crushed down onto one of the tower guns. I saw large pieces of metal fly into the air and crash onto the ground.

I raised my arms to shield myself, as debris scattered around me. It was until one large piece of the tower's remains landed right next to me. I lowered my arms and gazed at it, spotting a half burned away symbol painted on its surface. I could not make out what it really was, but I could read four unique letters.

N E R V.

Strange, I felt like I've seen these words before.

*****

"Status, status, status…Come on, someone give me a status report on Unit-01!" nervously chattered Misato. She nibbled on her nails as she anxiously waited for any news of Ikari and the Unit-01.

_[This is Shinji Ikari!] _buzzed Ikari's voice, via an intercom through the metal desk, _[Unit-01 is ready to launch!]._

Hyuga nearly fell forward on his seat as he quickly pulled himself close to a microphone on his desk.

"B-but, sir! The new vertical launcher has not been completed yet!"

_[…Guess we'll have to use the old one…]_ called back Ikari.

Aoba suddenly appeared right next to Hyuga and snatched the microphone out of Hyuga's hands and to himself, "Is that possible?! Does that thing still even work after all these years?!"

Suddenly, Ibuki appeared right next to the too men and also swiped the microphone out of Aoba's hands, "You may need to reconsider, sir, or Unit-01 can't withstand the initial launch pressure!"

_[I have faith!]_ Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga were taken aback by Ikari's words of strong confidence, _[I believe! Please also believe in Unit-01!]_

The trio fell silent for a moment. Finally they said, "Roger!" With that they went back to their seats.

Kiera's fingers rapidly danced across her keyboard. Multiple screens appeared and disappeared as long lines of code scrolled down across them.

"Preparing vertical launch sequence!" called out Kiera, "Confirmed, Unit-01 has been placed onto the platform and is ready for immediate assault! Misato, permission to continue!"

Misato gave herself a half-grin, "Let him fly."

Kiera returned a nod and raised her right index finger, "Unit-01! Launch!"

She pressed down the ENTER button.

*****

In NERV's main hangar and launch bay, metal latches pulled back with loud sparks. A platform shot up at high-velocity, rising higher and higher. Hundreds of pounds worth of G-Force weighed heavily down on the platform as it rose. Thousands of miles above, gates opened up from different sides of the tight launch-shaft. Finally, an opening of light flashed open.

*****

I pushed myself to my feet as I struggled to keep my balance. It proved to be effortful as my head spun badly with dizziness and pain. I have to leave…

I started to limp away down the empty and torn up street. The massive machine behind me had just crushed apart the last of the nearby gun towers. It grinded the towers' remains under its feet before it started to follow me.

I forced my legs to move faster, but my entire body was very heavy and sluggish. I could not help it as I tripped to the ground. I felt the earth shook with every step the giant machine took.

I turned around and stared at it. The machine slowed its approach towards me and started to reach out a hand to take me. It's over…I'll never see my mother again.

Suddenly, before I knew it, the ground opened up behind me. I whirled around and saw a massive iron gate split open in a square. Metal rods extended out and strip-lights buzzed to life. What was happening now?

That was when it happened. A metal platform instantly came to a stop at the opened gate. I was taken aback. The platform was empty. A shadow flew over my head and I looked up.

Up in the sky, under the sun's ray, I could make out a small dark figure. It looked like it was flying straight up. It twisted itself into a rapid spin and started to descend. The machine stopped its hand and looked up at the sky as well.

The figure descended down and sliced a hole right through a cloud. Before I could gasp, the figure smashed right into the chest of the machine.

The machine flew backwards, as if shoved off by a tremendous force greater than itself. It skidded several miles down the city, shattering buildings in its path. It finally stopped by crashing into a thicker building. Rubble and dirt fell over its shoulders and it gazed up to its attacker, its eye flashed red.

The figure elegantly dropped down from the sky and landed right in front of me. The sun came down and revealed to me what it was. To my surprise, it was a who.

Standing before me was a young man, almost close to my age. He had short and unkempt navy blue hair, a pair of cold and monotonous greenish-purple eyes, and a strong figure. He wore a strange dark purple and yellow framed jacket, a bright green and blue-edged shirt, and black pants with a pair of red strips down his leggings.

There was a transient moment when he glanced at me from over his shoulder. I didn't know what to say, but thousands of questions took over my mind.

Who was this boy?

Suddenly, he spoke to someone, someone invisible. His voice was flat and void of emotion, yet had a sense of gentle life in it.

"EVA-01, Atticus*. Entered mission area. Awaiting orders."

*****

Kiera stretched her fingers and adjusted her headset with a smirk, "Unit-01's launch sequence was a success! Told ya I could handle this!"

Hyuga practically sagged his tense body in his seat. Ever since the launch sequence first began, he, Ibuki, and Aoba, were all anxious to see if the boy had made it.

Misato gave a proud smirk, "That's our Atticus."

The door behind her opened up and in stepped Commander Ikari. His uniform is un-buttoned and smeared with several patches of grease and oil. He unrolled one sleeve down his right arm and completely forgot about the other.

"Atticus, listen carefully."

*****

I sat on the ground, dumbfounded. This boy, he…fell from the sky and was able to push the machine away single-handedly? What was going on? Suddenly I heard faint buzzes of voices. That boy, Atticus, held up a hand and touched a small ear-fin-like device clipped to his left ear.

_[Atticus, listen carefully,]_ crackled a deep male voice, _[Here are your objectives: either destroy or ward off the Requiem from Tokyo-3. Second, protect a girl named Keiko Birmingham from harms way.]_

Atticus stayed quiet for a moment. Slowy, but suddenly, he turned to me.

"Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham? Acknowledge," he asked plainly.

I remained sitting on the ground, frozen stiff with utter confusion. Somehow, my mind was able to make my head nod in answer. Soon, Atticus turned back to the task at his hands.

"Priority target located and confirmed. Keiko is under my protective measures."

_[Listen up,]_ called out a woman's voice, _[you have a time limit of less than eight minutes before your initial energy core runs out of juice and powers down. The Commander and I will do all we can to support you. Your highest priority is to protect Keiko. Got it?]_

_[Hey Atticus!]_ called out another younger female voice, with an irritated tone, _[if you remember me, I'm Kiera. Your field operator from last time. Make sure you follow my instructions if you want this mission to go smoothly. Now stick to your objectives and kick that creep's butt.]_

"I understand. Commencing mission," replied Atticus. He dropped his hand. Silently, he stared at the machine up ahead. Atticus levelled his head.

The machine ahead of us suddenly burst out of its fallen spot. Monstrous debris flew everywhere, demolishing everything in a short terrifying rain of broken rocks. Atticus stayed calm. He started to walk calmly forward across the shattered street.

"Target confirmed: Requiem, Titan Category. Estimated time till mission end: T minus seven minutes and 30 seconds…" He stopped and readied himself, as if to attack, "EVA-01, engaging the target."

He leapt forward in a massive blur. My eyes barely blinked by the time he reached the machine up ahead. A whirlwind like hurricane kicked up from his run.

The machine continued to charge and threw a giant fist at Atticus. He skilfully ducked and ran under the attack; the ground behind him took the machine's blow and shattered violently.

Atticus back flipped upward into the air, over the high heights of the machine's arm. He dropped back down and stomped right on top of its arm. The entire machine dropped to the ground, as if a comet's descent weighed it down. The earth rumbled with a volcanic-furious quake. I couldn't help a scream as I clasped my hands to my head and curled up in a human ball. Still, I peeked through under my arms at the inconceivable scene.

Atticus slightly rose from his landing. Suddenly, he sprinted up the machine's arm and towards the head. He was a blur that zipped across the machine's arm, which had the length of a full football field. At the last second, Atticus leapt up and kicked up at the machine's head.

The blow made contact with its iron chin. Without warning its entire body was lifted up by an invisible force and shortly levitated several inches off the ground. Atticus spun around in mid-air and kicked forward like a missile. The attack sent the machine flying across the city's streets. It ploughed everything in its sight that spanned nearly several kilometres away from me.

My eyes were wide with absolute horror. How could such power against that strange machine…be wielded by a mere boy?

Atticus landed onto the street. He stared at the machine ahead of him. Without uttering a sound, he broke into a dash that could have broken the sound barrier.

Correction, he **did** break the sound barrier.

*****

"Less that five minutes before his power goes out!" cried Kiera. Despite her adolescent looks, her fingers rapidly chattered across her keyboards. She constantly glimpsed at a small holographic screen that had electronic-orange number rapidly counting down by the seconds, "Atticus is giving it everything he's got, but that Requiem won't let up!"

"Hyuga! Aoba! Activate city defences in sector E5 and E6!" commanded out Ikari, "we have to support Atticus no matter what!"

"Hey, Ibuki! See if you can lend him a hand with a short missile strike!" called out Misato with a grin.

"Kiera, continue to guide Atticus as he fights the Requiem! That's an order!"

All four NERV lieutenants returned a crisp cry, "SIR, YES SIR!"

*****

Around the machine, several more buildings opened up. This time they lowered and extended powerful looking Gatling guns. They all rapidly spewed out what looked like to be armor-piercing bullets. Sparks danced across the machine's iron flesh. Despite the bullets' armor-piercing abilities, they didn't even make an annoying scratch to the machine.

Suddenly, two other buildings opened up their roof tops. They revealed hundreds of small holes, but with diameters wide enough to store a car. The sun's ray glinted off from its metal reflection.

*****

Misato slapped the metal desk with her right hand. She leaned forward with a mad grin.

"Rockets away!"

*****

A hail storm of missiles flared out of the holes on top of the building. They soar up high into the sky and instantly curved down in a deadly arc. In a rain of wild-fire, the missiles exploded over the machine. Smoke kicked up everywhere as infernos screamed across the earth.

There was no way, anything could have survived that blast. That was when the clouds started to part, I knew I thought wrong.

The smoke cleared away and revealed something shimmering behind its black walls. It was some sort of field…a blue diamond energy field. The machine was knelt under the giant field, its eye flowing blue.

My God…nothing can stop it. Yet, the boy Atticus kept on running towards it.

*****

"What the?! An AT-Field?!" yelped Hyuga.

"No, a Prism Barricade, but they somehow originated from an AT-Field," replied Misato. She cursed under her breath and gripped the railings before her, "Darn that Requiem…it's like fighting an Angel all over again…only we've got a smaller EVA…"

"I have faith in him," answered Ikari. Misato perked her head up and glanced at Ikari. He was sitting in his chair at the metal desk. His hands were folded in front of his mouth and his glasses reflected an eerie white glow.

"Three minutes before power is up!" called out Kiera.

Ikari raised his gaze, the glow disappeared from his glasses to reveal eyes of trust and confidence.

"Atticus has what it takes…to slay the Requiems."

*****

"Target's Prism Barricade is active," spoke Atticus. He ran towards the machine dead-on, without fear or hesitation in his eyes, "Engage with maximum output."

Suddenly, Atticus leapt and somersaulted high up into the air. I watched in amazement as he ascended towards the sky. The machine too watched, as if surprised by the feat. Soon, Atticus started to charge down from the sky.

_[This is Kiera! You have clearance to use the Evangelion Overdrive!]_

Atticus called out, "**Evangelion Overdrive**: X-Calibur Breaker!"

His back, like a robot, opened up several compartments and extended out four small triangular fins. In less then a second, they flared out large diamond-sharp glowing dragonfly-like wings from his back. It was as if they were his wings, which burned bright blue with sparkling white ember trailing after him.

*****

"He's…" breathed Ibuki.

The NERV technicians could not believe their eyes as they stood up from their seat. Misato could not help a proud grin as Ikari passively stared at the main screen. Still, he too stretched a smile.

Kiera looked like she had seen it before, yet had a sense of awe in her sight.

"I can't believe that he can pull off a stunt like that…and he looks like he's an average high schooler…"

*****

Atticus dove straight towards the machine and his diamond energy field. He reached forth his right fist. In one destructive blow, he smashed into the barrier head-on. The machine's barrier sparked with uncontrollable energy as Atticus remained unfazed, pushing himself faster against the field. His right arm suddenly had a series of metal strips that wrapped around his arm and transform into a powerful metal glove.

"Initiating Field sync!"

Suddenly the field ripped a hole open itself, clearing the way for Atticus. The machine could have gasped in horror. Atticus, a burning bright-blue comet, shot through the hole and tore straight through the machine's heart.

Before my very eyes, a white explosion erupted. A powerful shockwave slapped into my body and I was forced to roll back several paces. As quick as it happened, the shockwave died and the explosion was no more. What might have happened for at least an hour or so, could have been less then eight minutes.

A figure landed right in front of me, its back turned, and I let out a shriek. I turned away in fear, thinking it would harm me. I waited. Nothing happened. Slowly, I turned around and stared at the figure. Its back withdrew its fins and the glove retracted away from his its right hand.

It was Atticus. His clothing were a little torn at the edges, his face was covered with faint patches of soot. Either than that, he was still standing with a passive expression.

*****

Ikari stood up in his seat and turned towards the door, "Misato, prepare a chopper for me. I'm going to pick them up."

"Sure," loosely nodded Misato, "but I'm coming along."

Ikari stopped at the open exit of Central Dogma and turned to her old friend and former guardian. Misato returned a blushing and sheepish grin.

"Besides, it was my fault that Keiko-chan was trapped out there in the first place. I still have some responsibilities for her safety as her new guardian."

*****

"Mission complete. Priority target: Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham has been safely secured. Enemy Requiem, eliminated," whispered Atticus.

"E-excuse me."

He swiftly turned to me and for a moment I thought I heard myself squeak with fear. I quickly recomposed myself.

"A-Atticus, co-correct?" I uttered. He returned a crisp nod.

"Affirmative."

"Um…I…" I barely could speak the words out, "I would like to thank−"

Suddenly a strange long toned beep sounded off. I curiously looked around, until I realized it came from Atticus.

"Mission time exceeded. Reserve energy, zero percent. Shutting down."

Without warning, Atticus shivered and started to collapse. Bit by bit, he started to fall to the ground, like a wound up doll that used up its last winding. Finally, his eyes went blank and he fell face-forward to the ground.

"Oh, no! Atticus!" I cried. Despite my pain-stinging body, I struggled to crawl over to Atticus. I tried to shake him awake, hoping to help him in some way, "Please, wake up! Atticus!"

The wind suddenly kicked up and pounded my face with dirt and dust. I coughed as I shielded my face with my arms. I heard a rapid whirring sound above me and I peered up into the bright sky.

Descending down from the air was a large double-rotor transport helicopter. As it touched the ground, the propellers slowed down a bit to keep it balanced against the earth. A bulky door opened up and there stood a woman with dark purple hear, with a pair of pilot visors across her eyes, and wore a strange dark-green military uniformed.

What was happening? More problems?

"Oi!" cried the woman, "Keiko-chan!"

Eh?! She knew my name?! The woman leapt out of the helicopter and whipped off her visors. I gasped.

"Mi-Misato-chan?!" Without warning a pair of heavy arms wrapped around my shoulder and neck in a tight embrace.

"WAH! I'm so glad you still remember my name from the photo my commander sent to you!" shrieked the woman, Misato-chan. I could barely breathe under her hug, but I noticed something while looking over her shoulder.

There was a tall and thin man with yellow-tinted sunglasses across his nose-bridge. He wore another strange black and red-framed military uniform. He appeared from the helicopter transport and knelt by Atticus. A surge of fear ran down my spine.

I practically jumped madly in Misato-chan's hug, "Wait! Don't touch, Atticus! Leave him alone!"

"It's alright!" called the man, over the loud humming of the helicopter, "he's with us."

"Eh?" I wondered. The man said nothing else. He carefully picked up the boy and held him in his arms. Atticus had no response as he was silently asleep.

"Miss Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham," called the man, "I am Commander Shinji Ikari of NERV in Tokyo-3. Your mother, Asuka Langley Soryu, is a former fellow comrade and friend of mine…I am the one she sent you to look for. We need your help."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**_Neon Genesis Evangelion Terminology:_**

**AT-Field:** Short for Absolute Terror Field. It is a special defensive barrier wielded by Angels and EVAs in the series, like a force field. It is also known to be the sole containment that holds our body and soul together (through the story) before our bodies transform into LCL liquid.

**EVAs:** Short for Evangelion.

**Evangelion:** Biological and mechanical massive mechas with muscle-frame designs. They are the main weapons to use against Angels of equal size. Requires pilot to be born after an event known as the Second Impact and somewhat has a special syncronizable source between their wills.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK WIKIPEDIA: Neon Genesis Evangelion (Anime)


	2. Contact 02: Forgotten Truth

******Any author-original Characters/Mecha/Items/and others will be tagged with '*'.**

**This is set several years after the following conflict of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, created and owned by Hideaki Anno.**

**

* * *

**

**Neon Genesis Evangelion: EVA Reborn**

_Contact 02: Forgotten Truth_

I felt out of place. That was the first thing that crept into my mind. I was standing in a small rectangular office with tattered pure-cement grey walls. There weren't many things to be seen: only an old pair of bookshelves, a small thin-legged table that has a beat-up coffee maker with several cups on its dusty surface, a slightly torn green leather chair, a longer bed-like velvet seat that resembled something to a psychologist's patient chair, and an extremely old fashion wood and metal desk.

To my left Misato-chan stood by my side, her unclipped purple hair was hanging free to her shoulder height. Her collar was unbuttoned as she rapidly plucked at her uniform to cool herself down with a grimace. For moment, I thought I saw a scar that crept from under Misato-chan's uniform and seemed too reached out across the right side of her throat. I couldn't help a gulp and absent-mindedly touched my neck.

Commander Shinji Ikari, my mother's friend that I have been looking for, sat at the desk in front of me. His hands were folded in front of his mouth and an eerie glint reflected off his yellow-tinted glasses. I peered my eyes up to look passed him. Behind him was a window, concealed behind closed blinds. The blinds itself, when closed, formed the symbol that I have saw earlier in the day, when that horrid machine struck. It has half of a slanted Japanese maple-leaf, with four words beside it, and below it had a have ring quote that finished that symbol.

NERV; _'God's in His Heaven. All is right with the world.'_

"Ah…" groaned Misato-chan, "please tell me that your AC is not dead again…so hot…Why don't you get it fixed?"

"I did…but it broke again last week…" replied Commander Ikari. I too found it quite stuffy inside the room. I felt like I could barely breathe without gulping in the air itself. What astounded me was that Commander Ikari seemed to ignore the heat, as he was still in full black uniform, "Keiko-san."

"H-hai?!" I was so surprised by the sudden call that I could not help a shiver running down my spine.

"I wish to sincerely apologize for what happened earlier on in the day," answered Commander Ikari, "as my responsibility, I will provide a safe shelter for your protection."

"Sorry," sheepishly frowned Misato-chan. She nervously rubbed the back of her head, "It's also my fault…I was suppose to pick you up…but kind'a forgot…my bad."

"N-no, it's not your fault! I…" I trailed off as I thought of an excuse to take the blame. I took a moment to think back for a second…I came to Tokyo-3. It was hot. A machine appeared directly from the ocean. It demolished a quarter of the ghost-city. It chased after and nearly killed me. Finally, I was rescued by this peculiar boy who had the machine's strength, only tripled…Unfortunately, I could not finish my sentence properly.

Commander Ikari gently waved a hand at me, "That's alright, Keiko-san. The important thing to know is that you are safe in good hands."

"_Anou_…Commander Ikari…sama…" I hesitated, "my mother mentioned that…you want to see me…you said you wanted my help?"

Silence hovered over Misato-chan and Commander Ikari. Finally, Commander Ikari sat up straight and broke that silence, "That is Correct. We would like you to help us…in regarding about your research of energy generation and consumption."

"May I ask…why?"

"Our flyboy needs it," replied Misato-chan. I turned to her, surprised that she wanted to add something. She slightly turned to me and grinned, "Atticus is a special type of person; whenever he fights he needs a constant supply of energy in order to continue his mission. As you've seen before, he shortly power-down because his internal batteries can last for less than 8 minutes…Poor guy has to be continuously recharged in order to keep him awake."

"Your mother greatly boasted about how your research received a Nobel Prize. She praised highly of you," smiled Commander Ikari.

I felt my cheeks burn and I quickly threw my gaze down to the floor. Actually, I was curious about something and I completely forgotten my timid feelings.

"_Anou_…Commander Ikari-sama…may I ask…what is Nerv?"

Again there was a short pause. Commander Ikari slowly folded his hands in front of his mouth and the reflection across his glasses returned.

"After what you have been through and what you have seen…as well as being my friend's one and only daughter…I'll tell you…" he answered softly. I nodded and listened carefully, "Nerv, was originally a special agency owned by the UN. 2015, we were charged with the defense of Tokyo-3…as well as the elimination of humankind's greatest threat…the Angels."

A memory triggered in the back of my mind. The bedtime stories my mother always told me about. Monster falling from the sky and three giant knights fought them in the lands of Tokyo-3…could this Monster from the sky, be the one and only Angels?

"27 years ago, all 18 Angels were destroyed and the world was shortly suspended in post-Third Impact."

Third Impact? I remembered I have done some research on events known as the First and Second Impact…First Impact was long before the Earth was formed to hold life on it. An asteroid from outer space collided into the pre-Earth, with a destructive force that caused it to separate a small part of itself into space; hence the formation of the moon. Second Impact was again another meteorite that struck Earth on September 13, 2000. Though the meteorite was said to be small, its speed and collision against the Earth surface was the initial cause of such destructive force. A shiver went down my spine, but frozed mid-way. What was Third Impact then?

I was about to open my mouth to speak, but Misato-chan already started to talk, "The higher ups of Nerv officially disbanded us…ever since then this base have been left under silence for years…That is until yours truly came back and _unofficially_ reorganized it…"

"Ever since our first encounter with the creature you saw earlier," continued Commander Ikari, "we've been on high alert in case of an attack on Tokyo-3…this is also the cause of the city being completely empty."

"Commander Ikari-sama…" I whispered. He perked his head up at his name, "Wh-what…are those monsters?"

Commander Ikari did not answer right away, "They are discovered to be a sibling race to the Angels…they are classified as Arbiters of Worlds' End…we at the Nerv call them Requiems."

"Re…quiem…" I breathed.

"So, Keiko-san…will you lend us a hand…as we try to protect this last line of defense against them?" grinned Commander Ikari.

I straightened my back, "Hai! Commander Ikari-sama!"

He gently waved at me, "Shinji or Ikari will do just fine…"

I nodded. For a moment, I dared myself to ask this question, "_Anou_…Comm…_etou_, Ikari-sama…How is Atticus? Is he alright?"

Commander Ikari smiled, "Yes. He is doing fine. As we speak he is undergoing recharge right now."

I let out a sigh of relief, "_Yokkata_…"

Misato-chan wrapped her arm around my neck and hugged me close. I could not help a short gag as she took me by surprise, "Thank you, Keiko-chaaan! You'll really help our flyboy even better with the Requiem-butt-kicking part!"

"I-I understand…here I have my research with me…" I said. I touched my bare shoulders. I finally realized something as my eyes widen.

A scream filled the room, causing both Misato-chan and Commander Ikari to flinch. I soon came to noticed that I was the one who screamed. My hands sealed my mouth shut in absolute horror.

"MY BAGS!"

*****

Teary-eyed, I stared down at what was left of my teddy-bear back-pack. I could not bear to look at it any longer. It was torn and singed gruesomely in half. A black button eye was missing and its right arm was hanging limply from its side. I was about to break down and cry.

I sat on a freshly pressed bed within my newly acquired quarters of the Nerv base. I solemnly rested my teddy-bear backpack at the top right corner of the bed. I lightly brushed off a patch of soot from the top of its head. I let out a sad sigh.

I sat up straight and quietly took a moment to look around at my new room, my guess for the months to come. It felt up to date with the current times: with fluorescent light-bars across the ceiling, a holographic computer console on top of a fancy and expensive computer desk, a nearby metallic bookshelf, and a nice bed. Beside me was a small automatic drawer, with a tiny computer screen on one side for password recognition. On top of it was a cylinder-like and t-shaped fish tank and a small metal pot that projected a life-like and real-time image of any flower, or plant, I wished to project. Why the fish tank was there, I could not put my finger on it; but I did like the flower pot, setting it to project a lovely sunflower before me. I could not help a childish smile.

That was when the door to my quarters was buzzed. I sprung in my seat as a voice filtered through the door speaker, _[Ooooooi! It's me, little'ol Misato-chan, and company!]_

_[Real cute, Misato, real cute…]_ grumbled a male voice.

I went up to the door and pressed the door button. It slid open with a soft whoosh and there standing at the doorway, with a grin that nearly reached her ears, was Misato-chan.

"Keeeeeiiiiikko-chaaaaan! _Tadaima_!" she giggled, almost child-like. Without warning, she burst through the door and instantly hugged me. I barely had a chance to realize anything else.

"M-Misato-chan?" I suddenly noticed more people at the doorway. I blushed at little as they all smiled at me.

There were three of them, two men and one woman. The woman was gentle and elegant, with short brown hair and a dune-colored uniform with skin-tight white pants. One man was somewhat short, with spiky brown hair, a pair of glasses across his nose bridge, and had a cheerful smile on his face. The last one was tall and had long hair, almost like a heavy metal player, with a straight face and unimpressed look on him. I'm guessed why he looked that gloomy is because he was holding onto large and heavy grocery bags. Actually, they all brought something into my room.

"_Ne-ne_!" giggled Misato-chan. She pulled away from her embrace and smiled at me, almost ecstatic, "I would like you to meet some friends of mine!" She instantly whirled around, swung her right arm around my neck and shoulder, and pointed at each entrant with a playful gun-shaped left hand, "This is Maya Ibuki!"

"Hello!" waved Ibuki.

"This little nerdy guy is, Makoto Hyuga!"

Hyuga was taken aback. He recomposed himself with an air of confidence and cleared his throat, "Technical genius is the better term…"

"And grumpy here is, Shigeru Aoba!"

"Hey!" he snapped. I instantly recognized that voice; it was the same male voice that came through the door speaker, "I only thought of buying some snacks for the kid, but I didn't expect to carry bucket loads of food for you!"

Misato-chan frowned and nonchalantly combed a strand of hair behind her ear. She pouted "Oooooh, but Aoba-saaaan…I'm just little old me, I'm not as stronger as yoooouuuu…"

Aoba scoffed, "Cut the girly-girl-girl act, Misato, you're just lazy!"

Misato-chan's brow twitched, yet she had on a twisted smile, "Be lucky that I am not Ichikawa, or else I would throw something bigger and painfully heavier than books…"

Aoba rolled his eyes, "Tch, make my−"

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha…" nervously laughed Ibuki, hoping to changing the subject before something happens, "Yes…well we all came to pay you a visit, Keiko-san. We even brought you some things."

"What?" I gasped, "n-no! You shouldn't have!" Ibuki stepped forward. In her arms she carried a large stack of female clothing, neatly folded and freshly ironed. She set it down on the computer desk with a smile.

"I know that your luggage was lost during the Requiem's encounter, so I hope you don't mind my spare clothes…"

"N-no not at all!"

She suddenly bent forward towards me. She cupped her hands to her mouth and whispered into my ear, "I'll get your _private clothing_ later, don't worry."

My cheeks tinged with a pink shade. I nodded at her words, thankfully, and whispered back, "Thank you."

"I know this isn't much," nervously spoke Hyuga. As Ibuki took a step back to reveal Hyuga, I was surprised by what he was carrying.

"M…_manga_?" I wondered.

"Y-yeah…like I said it ain't much…" said Hyuga. He smiled, "But it's better than having nothing to do, am I right?" He too set the various collections of manga books onto a corner of my computer desk.

I graciously bowed, "Th-thank you!"

"Ahem…" uttered Aoba. I turned to him, almost afraid. It was only his gentle and friendly smile that shocked me, "Here." He lifted forth a pair of large white bags. I glimpsed inside and I felt my mouth sting with hunger. Food, snacks, and drinks…lots of them, "I apologize for the over-amount of food here. I planned to buy you a sandwich and a soda…but little miss I'm-the-boss-of-everything-as-I-am-Deputy-Commander…" At that he threw a short glare at Misato-chan. She merely checked her nails and whistled, "Bought nearly an entire lane…so here…" He finally rested the bags near the legs of the computer desk and stood back up to pat his hands, "Enjoy."

I instantly bowed to everyone, extremely grateful for their sincerity, "Uh…_Hajimemashite_! I am Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham! _Douzo yoroshiku-onegai-shimasu_!"

Ibuki gentle smiled and bowed as well, "_Yoroshiku_."

Hyuga and Aoba cracked a grin and bowed, "_Ah, yoroshiku._"

Misato-chan blinked at me from the corner of her eyes. She finally cracked a smile and giggle as she patted my left shoulder with her left arm around me, "A~ha, _yoroshiku_…_Aree_?" She suddenly perked her head up in confusion. Hyuga, Aoba, Ibuki, and I all stood back up and watched Misato-chan. She was looking for someone, "Any one seen Ichikawa?"

A pair of feet screeched to a stop and a figure was hidden directly behind Aoba and Hyuga. As soon as they noticed the figure behind them, they panicked and leapt away. Behind them was a young girl with long curly blonde hair…and an almost balanced yet extensive use of make-up on her face. She was pretty, but that could be just the cosmetics.

"Yo~ho!" she called out, her arm shot up above her head as a greeting, "Kiera Ichikawa, at your service."

"You're in a strangely good mood…" muttered Aoba, "what did you do now?"

Kiera's tiny foot shot up and kicked Aoba in the shin. He madly hopped about my small room as he held back curses, for my sake I guess. Kiera innocently giggled, but I thought I saw a vein was throbbing across her forehead, under her golden blonde hair.

"Ah, pish-posh!" she laughed, waving off Aoba's remark, "I came here to see the new girl!"

"New girl?" I then realized that there was no need to answer, "Me?"

Kiera nodded, almost joyfully, "Of course! Here!" She pulled out a rather large bouquet of yellow flowers, from behind her back, and presented it to me. I gasped at the sight, "Welcome aboard Nerv!"

I graciously accepted the flowers and held it in my arms, "Th-thank you very much…"

"No, thank **you**!"

"Eh?" I wondered. Kiera playfully hopped towards me like a little girl. I felt like I was meeting Goldilocks personally.

"You wouldn't believe being the only teenager here is the most **boring** role ever been in this place…As well, taking high school lessons here is such a hard to take by yourself!" grinned Goldilocks – I mean Kiera, "So what do you say? Wanna take high school lessons here together?! I promise to share with you my notes so we can study together and we'll be great BFFs even after graduation!"

I blinked as I took in all that information, "Eh…what's a BFF?" Kiera gladly wanted to define it, but Hyuga, while pressing his glasses up his nose bridge, took the first cake.

"_Best friends forever_…"

A vein streaked across Kiera. She quickly glimpsed at me and immediately chuckled out, to what I think would be frustration. She looked over her shoulder at Hyuga, "Of course…what better ways to define such simple words than from a **nerd**…"

Hyuga grimaced, "Technical genius…"

"Wait…" I realized, "did you say high-school?"

Kiera excitedly turned back to me, "Yeah! Yeah! So, wanna take high-school with me?"

"I can't," I answered, "I've already graduated from university…"

Silence hung in my room. Kiera kept her smile on…but I felt its initial emotion was swept under the rug. Without changing her expression, neither uttering a word, she slowly took the bouquet of flowers from my hands. Instantly, her face twisted with rage and she held the bouquet over her head.

"WHY YOU!"

"GET HER!" growled Aoba. In a flash, Ibuki, Hyuga, and Aoba wrapped their arms around an enraged Kiera. She thrashed in their hold as they struggled.

"LET ME AT HER! JUST LET ME AT HER! I'LL TEAR HER TO SHREDS! LET ME GO!"

Her elbow swiped across Hyuga's face, whipping his glasses off. He grimaced with a glare, "Get a hold of yourself Kiera! She's just academically talented than average, that's all – even if she is around your age!"

Misato-chan frowned and slapped a hand to her tired face, "Oh, shoot…right…She goes berserk whenever someone mentions they've graduated…faster than she could…" I did not quite get the idea. I blinked, kept my mouth quiet, and continued to watch the struggle in front of me.

"NO FAIR!" screamed Kiera, "SHE'S ALREADY A TEENAGER AND GRADUATED FROM UNIVERSITY?! I'VE BEEN SUFFERING FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS JUST TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL AND I HAVE TO REPEAT SEVERAL GRADES EVERYTIME! AAAAAAAAAAAGH! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NO FAIR!"

"GET – HER – OUT OF HERE!" hollered Aoba. Quickly, he and the others started to drag Kiera, while she still ranted furiously at the top of her lungs. I quickly stepped forward and picked up Hyuga's glasses. I passed it to him as fast as I can. He was about to say thank you, when Kiera lurching forward at me – with deadly clawed hands reaching out towards my throat – interrupted him.

"THERE IS NO JUSTICE AT ALL! IT'S JUST NOT FAIR! MARK MY WORDS, I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

Soon, after gripping at the edge of the door, Kiera disappeared with Hyuga, Aoba, and Ibuki. Automatically, the door swooshed closed. I finally let out a sad sigh.

"I feel sorry for Ichikawa-san…poor girl…" I whispered. I must have missed it, but Misato-chan gave me a slow look at the corner of her eyes. A sweat drop must have hovered over her head.

*****

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" breathed Misato-chan. She had just gulped down a refreshing remains of a freshly emptied soda can. She crushed it in her hands and tossed it into an empty bag with a clutter.

"I'm sorry Misato-chan…for losing my research during the machine's attack…I'll rewrite another one as soon as I can…" I said, crestfallen.

Misato waved a forgiving hand at me, "Oh please, it's not your fault. Again, it was me who forgot to pick you up. If I had remembered, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place…" She sighed with a faint grin, "Besides, take your time with your research, we're in no rush as long as you feel comfortable being here." She started to open a new can

I sat on my bed, lightly nibbling at the mouth piece of my soda can. Misato-chan had drunk her next soda halfway, until she saw me. She lowered the can from her lips and turned to me with a smile.

"Why so glum?" she asked.

I snapped out of my thoughts, "Eh? What?"

"What's on your mind?"

"_Etou_…" I hesitated at first, "I was…I was wondering about the monsters, the Requiems…and Atticus…"

"What about them," asked Misato-chan. She leaned against my computer desk and continued to drink her soda. She stole short glances at the unique t-shaped fish tank beside my bed.

"You and Commander Ikari mentioned before once that…the Requiems have finally made their move…" I answered, "I'm sorry, I overheard your conversation back in the helicopter…"

Misato-chan grinned and lightly laughed, "Heh-heh…might as well tell you." She turned her full attention to me as she drank her soda from time to time, "Well…after the fight with the Angels 27 years ago, the world was no longer at threat. Nerv, as we said before, was disbanded. It just so happened that some of us, as well as former staff members, kept in contact with each other. And it just so happened that Shinji-kun wanted some of our help with…" She paused for a second, as if nearly spilling out something that was not meant to be spilled, "…a _special project_…We used Nerv's headquarters as the labs – which was my idea by the way…" She gulped down the rest of her soda and crushed it in her hand, "Then it happened…"

"Wh-what?" I said, breathless.

"Our old scanners that we used to identify an Angel's presence went off," answered Misato-chan coldly, "it took us completely by surprised when we found out what made that pinged…Oh sorry, my bad. Pinged is a term where something is detected by radar…That day…it was not a pinge you would've like…"

"The…Requiems?" I asked. She nodded, eyes narrowed.

"We've had a total of 8 encounters so far…each merely passing by 2000 km off of the Tokyo-3 bay. They never struck…until today…"

I lowered my gaze, unsure of what to say or asked next. I recollected how frightening it was just to face one of these Requiem…and there are more of them that could attack Tokyo-3? I bit at my lower lip to ignore the shudder down my spine.

Suddenly, a red box appeared right in front of me. I was taken aback by surprise as I raised my gaze. A…Pocky snack box? I looked up at Misato-chan. She returned a wide child-like grin.

"Pocky?" she gestured. I hesitated. Finally, I gingerly pulled one out and started to nibble on it. It was sweet and relaxing…it's been a while since I had this snack…I cracked a smile. Misato-chan too pulled out two Pockys. She pinched one between her second and third finger and happily snapped off the other Pocky stick into two with her lips. She started to munch happily.

"D…do you like snacks? Misato-chan?" I asked.

She shrugged and answered, almost without thinking, "Not really…but ever since I had the accident, I had a weak body…So whenever I am under tension I need something sweet to keep me going…or all chaos will break loose without me…"

"An accident?" I asked, almost squeaking. Could it be that scar on her neck?

She realized what she said and choked, "*Cough* *Cough* I mean…yeah…an accident…" She slowly returned a nod and averted her eyes to my fish-tank, "_Just_ an accident…" She didn't look so happy for some reason. I made a strong decision not to pursue it any longer.

"_Anou_…how is he? Atticus-sama?" I asked, changing the topic.

Misato-chan turned to me. She surprised me with a sudden change of expression on her face. She looked like she was grinning whole-heartedly again.

"Our flyboy?" she smiled, being cheery and enigmatic herself again, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

*****

The door swooshed open before me. I could not help a blink, for the lights inside the room were really, really, bright. I stood outside of a strange laboratory's threshold, with Misato-chan backing me up in behind. She guided me inside first and we entered. She took a moment to wave at a nearby Nerv Scientist and Technician.

"Yooooh! How's our flyboy after today's rumble?" she asked, almost casually.

I took a step forward away from Misato-chan, drawn towards one spot inside the entire lab. It was him, the boy…Atticus. He was floating inside a strange cylinder tank filled with cyan-tinted liquid. Tiny bubbles, like from that of a soda bottle, rose to the bubbling surface above his head. Several monitoring device were attached to him, wearing a skin-tight suit that reached out to his wrists, neck, and ankles. There was this fighter-pilot-like oxygen max that was cupped to his face, connected to an oxygen tube attached to the ceiling of the tank. If I hadn't known better, I think he was fast asleep.

"Unit-01's status is well stabilized at the moment. He is in good condition, suffering only minor injuries and several scratches. We took care of that," replied the Nerv Scientist. He flipped through papers attached to a clipboard, "Being the second time he's been in operation, I'd say he's cleared for further extensity for future missions."

"Power recharge is almost complete," replied the Nerv Technician. He adjusted his orange and tan-colored backwards cap across his head, "Aegis Cloth has been inflicted with minimal damage. Only minor stabilizer control and some enhance sensory components have stopped working and are currently being repaired."

Aegis Cloth? I turned to look at Misato-chan to ask for the definition. Something caught my eyes, which was held inside a tall and empty capsule, standing next to Atticus' tank. It was his clothing, his purple jacket, his green shirt, and long black pants. They were scarred, but I saw several bright sparks across it and slowly made repairs the damages.

"Those are nanobots that are fixing the Aegis Cloth." I perked my head up and turned to Misato-chan. She had just received the clipboard from the Nerv Scientist and looks at it without turning to me, "The Aegis Cloth is a special clothing-based armor set and system that can protect Atticus from high amount of damage, enhancing his combat synchronization effect, and has anti-G-force diffuser to dissipate high amount of speed pressure that might injure his internal organs…" She suddenly realized who she was speaking to. Misato-chan sheepishly grinned and stuck her tongue out, embarrassed, "Aha…_gomene_, Keiko-chan…" She turned to the others, her voice hinted with authority yet with a touch of kindness, "Thank you, guys, you are both relieved from your post until further notice."

The Nerv Scientist and Technician returned a nod. They grabbed most of their things and walked out of the lab, the door sliding closed behind him. As soon as that door closed, Misato-chan chucked the clipboard over her shoulder. It landed perfectly across another table.

"We're alone," she smiled, almost frighteningly mischievous, "you got something to say to our flyboy?"

I hesitated. I felt my shy self inside stirring inside my stomach as I turned to Atticus. He was still floating in the tank, eyes closed in deep sleep. I gently touched the tank's surface with my right hand. I leaned in closer to the glass, almost to kiss it. I did not want him to miss my words, for what he has done for me.

"_Arigatou_…"

His eyes opened. It took me exactly four seconds to realize that. I sprung back in fear, and I definitely know my cheeks are burning so badly.

"_Ohayou gozaimasu_. Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham," answered the monotonous voice of Atticus, though the oxygen mask attached to his mouth. I simply stood where I was, blankly blinking dumbfounded. Atticus' eyes lingered onto me for a short moment. Finally, he turned slightly to gaze at Misato-chan, "_Ohayou gozaimasu_. Deputy Commander Misato."

Misato-chan smiled tenderly, almost motherly like, "_Ohayou_…but it's not morning anymore."

Atticus passively blinked, "What time is it?"

"It's almost evening," replied Misato-chan playfully, "so what do you say at this time?"

"…_Konbanwa_. Deputy Commander Misato."

Without warning, Misato-chan suddenly appeared to my left. I took a step back in surprise. She was bent forward and was staring right through the glass at Atticus, with a girlish air around her. She was slightly irritated as she shook her head, "_Jiiiiigaaaaruuuu_! Misato-chan! Mi-sa-to-chaaaaaan!" I blinked. Despite her age of looking like a 40 year old woman…she had a strong essence of an average and energetic high school girl. I turned to Atticus. Again, he paused as he blinked.

"Misato."

Misato-chan stumbled on the spot, "Ai-ya-ya…never could get that through your thick skull, can I?"

"_Sumimasen_. Misato," apologized Atticus, his tone never changing. Misato-chan shook her head.

"_Anou_…_arigatou gozaimasu_, for before," I spoke. Misato-chan and Atticus both turned to me. I struggled to put on my best confident smile I could come up with, but I knew my shyness got the better of me and my cheeks, "Ha-ha-_hajimemashite_…I am Keiko…d-_dozou yoroshiku-onegaishimasu_…" I ended my introduction with a bow. I stood back up just as Atticus spoke to me.

"_Hajimemashite_…I am EVA-01 Atticus…_dozou yoroshi_−" When he bowed, his forehead painfully knocked onto the glass of his tank. I squeaked with fear. Misato-chan stared at him with closed mouth disbelief. Atticus passively stood back up in his tank.

"_Ittai_," he said flatly, his expression never changing.

Misato-chan slapped a hand to her face and sighed, "Ah…Atticus…"

The lab door slid open and someone in a black and high-ranking uniform entered. Misato-chan, Atticus, and I turned. I gasped with surprise and I slapped my mouth shut.

Misato-chan grinned, "Yoooh! Shinnnjiii-kuuuuun."

Commander Ikari returned a smile as he entered the labs, the door sliding to a close behind him. C-C-Commander Ikari-sama? What was he doing here for? I then realize where I was and who the person behind me was in the tank. Oh…of course, he is the Commander…he needs to make sure his soldiers are alright. I quietly stepped to one side, as if to let him pass me. He only stopped in front of me as he talked with Misato-chan.

"How is he?" he asked, casually.

Misato-chan pressed a finger to her forehead and thought it over as she pursed her lips. Soon she turned to Commander Ikari with a smile and gave him an okay sign with her hand, "A-Okay!"

Commander Ikari nodded. I was impressed in how Misato-chan was able to summarize the Scientist and Technician's report…into one word…or was it two words. The Commander stared up at the tank and stood right in front of it. He stared at Atticus with quiet, yet soft eyes, as he had his hands folded behind his back.

"Good evening, Atticus, are you doing well?"

Atticus nodded with the same expressionless gaze, "Hai. _Shittsue_".

At first, I missed what Atticus just mentioned. When I thought over what he said, I realized something really important that I should have noticed at first hearing. Sh…_ shittsue_? I remember when my mother taught me Japanese while I was a child, she explained to me that this word, '_shittsue',_ was an extremely honorific word to say…one's father…

I slowly turned to Atticus and he turned to me, "Hai?"

"A-anou…Atticus-san…what is your full name?"

Atticus paused for a second while he passively blinked, "Atticus Ayanami Ikari."

"…eeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!!!!" My face went as pale as a ghost. I turned to commander Ikari and Misato-chan, my mouth wide open with shock, "He's…He's…He's…"

Misato-chan sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Ah, _gomene_ Keiko-chan…I forgot to tell you…"

Commander Ikari smiled, "It is correct…Atticus is my son."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**JAPANESE TERMS:**

**Yo-kka-ta**: Means good, or in speech terms 'Oh…thank goodness…'.

**Go-me-ne: **Feminine form of _gomenasai_. Girls only. It is equivalent with _'gomenasai'_ to apologize (Sorry), only used at a closer intimate level than _'sumimasen'_.

**Ha-ji-me-ma-shi-te:** In Japan if you introduce yourself to someone you do not know, you start with _Hajimemashite_. It is equivalent to say: 'Hello, how do you do.' Then you tell the person your name. Used only if you are introducing yourself for the **very first time**; after that, do not use again on the same person.

**Do-zo-u yo-ro-shi-ku:** After you introduce yourself, you end with _dozou yoroshiku_ and bow. It is equivalent to say: 'Please honor/accept me within your humble presence' or so. The longer it is the more polite, ie. _Dozou yoroshiku-onegaishimasu_, but would be considered somewhat awkward for to be that long in reality with the Japanese; unless if it was for Anime. Otherwise stick with the basic form.

**Ji-ga-ru:** Equivalent to mean: 'No, not like that! / No, not at all! / Not true!'

**Shi-ttsu-e:** Heard from Anime (notably from Yu-Gi-Oh! During the Noah Battle Arc) as a way of calling father, only it is extremely high-ranking in honor to use. Spelling may not be accurate.


	3. Contact 03: Midnight Solstice

******Any author-original Characters/Mecha/Items/and others will be tagged with '*'.**

**This is set several years after the following conflict of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, created and owned by Hideaki Anno.**

**

* * *

**

**Neon Genesis Evangelion: EVA Reborn**

_Contact 03: Midnight Solstice_

"LET – ME – GOOOOOOOO!!!!" shrieked Kiera.

Within the command room of Central Dogma, Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga were busy with something as they huddled up side-by-side. They look like they were gift-wrapping something with tight ropes as Kiera's scream echoed around them.

"_MOOOUU_! _ITTAIYO_! GET OFF ME RIGHT – THIS – INSTANCE! LET ME AT HER! LET ME AT HER!"

Finally, Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga stood up. Aoba brushed off the dust from his hands, Ibuki stood in silence as she nervously stared in front of her, and Hyuga pulled off his glasses to check for any damages. Kiera, on the other hand, was tied up to her station chair. Her face was beet-red from fury as she struggled to pry herself free from her irritatingly tight bonds.

"There…" groaned Aoba, "that ought'a keep you safe and sound…"

"From what?!" snapped Kiera. Aoba merely returned a stare at her and casually raised an eyebrow. She lunged her head forward as if to bite him, her neatly curled blonde hair flew all over her face, "Listen − _Pfft_ − Let me go, NOW!" Another strand of golden blonde hair fell onto her nose and she growled.

Ibuki lightly shook her head, "Please, Ichikawa-san, don't be so tempered. Keiko-san has graduated from university, that's…almost not a big deal. Besides, eventually you will graduate from high school and who knows…maybe a university will eventually accept you…Please calm yourself."

Kiera threw an extremely deadly glare at Ibuki. Quickly, the terrified Ibuki took a step back and gently shrunk behind Hyuga. He delicately held his glasses in his fingers as he inspected the damage on them, "She's right, Kiera. There's no need to get all worked up about. Besides, if you keep this destructive nature of yours up – whenever someone graduates earlier than you – Nerv will barely keep up with the repairs because of you and I will run out of glasses soon…" Without warning, the nose bridge of his glasses snapped in two. He groaned, "Shoot."

Aoba scoffed and folded his arms. He glanced down at Kiera, equally tempered, "Listen, if you are working with us, you have to maintain your attitude to exceed wanted expectations. The last time one of the Nerv Professors failed you was an accident, okay! The other times you had to retake grades were all your fault, for **real**! So don't vent out your hatred on other innocent people. Everyone is different in this world, got it!"

Kiera stood up, as if to bring the seat up with her. Despite her bottled rage, she merely fell back in her seat, "Fine whatever! But I swear if I see that…that…"

"Keiko-san?" asked Ibuki.

"_Keiko-vixen_! I'll wring her NECK! I'LL KILL HER! I'LL−" A large red bean bun was instantly shoved into her mouth. She was perplexed as she noticed the bun in her mouth. Through muffled cries she continued to rant in anger as Aoba sighed.

"That ought to keep you quiet…otherwise you'll ruin everyone's beauty sleep," he grumbled, "consider yourself lucky that you like red bean buns. That was suppose to me mine in case of emergencies…I hope you're happy…"

Kiera furiously shook her head, her golden locks flying everywhere. In unison, Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga gave out an exhausted sigh. They turned to leave. Kiera noticed their exit towards the door with stunned eyes. Infuriated, she rocked back and forth in her – bolted – swivel chair, calling out muffled cries to them.

At the open door way, Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga turned to Kiera. Aoba practically snarled, "Look, you've already brought a lot of trouble to us at Nerv and we don't mind it _too much_. But threatening our guest, **and** one of our good friends' daughter is totally unacceptable. Think over what you've done for tonight and we'll come back for you early in the morning…_Oyasuminasai_, Ichikawa…" One by one, they said their 'good-nights' and left Central Dogma.

"_Oyasuminasai_," bowed Ibuki.

"_Oyasumi_…" mumbled Hyuga, fretting over his glasses.

Kiera refused to give in. She screamed at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately, the red-bean bun stuffed in her mouth muffled them all to sound less than screaming. Finally the door slid shut, leaving Kiera alone in Central Dogma under a shower of dim lights. Her eyes started to well up tiny drops of water. She hung her head down and sniffed, letting out a sad whimper.

Suddenly, the door opened and she sprung up in her seat like a wound-up doll. It was Aoba at the door way, with Ibuki and Hyuga behind him. A hopeful glint flashed across Kiera's eyes. She happily bounced in her seat. Aoba made no expression whatsoever. He nonchalantly reached over one side of the door.

"Can't waste our precious electricity for nothing…Nerv is on a tight budget."

With that, he clicked the lights off. The three disappeared behind the sliding door and all fell silent. Only a pair of surprised blue eyes was left to hover in the darkness. They narrowed with annoyance. A short and angry groan echoed.

*****

The lab where Unit-01, Atticus, was held was pitched black dark. The only light it had was coming from his healing tank. Inside, the boy softly floated in the bright cyan-colored liquid as monitoring apparatus and devices lightly beeped under the silence. A human figure stood before it; with his back clean with darkness but his front drenched in the illumination of lights from Atticus' tank.

It was Ikari, silent and resigned. His glasses lifelessly rested on a corner of a nearby table. He stared at Atticus inside the tank, his eyes brightly flickering from the tank's glow.

"You've done a good job, Atticus, a really good job…" whispered Ikari. He finally tore his gaze away from Atticus and looked down. He held out his right hand and pulled out something from under his black uniform. It was a small red oval locket with a unique thin blue-colored chain. He took a moment to stare at it with quiet eyes, before he opened it. The locket opened smoothly like a book. It had two small pictures: one of a woman and one of a young baby. The woman's image was hidden under the tank's glare, but the baby's image was pristine clear. Ikari gave a faint smile.

"We are really proud of you…not matter what…"

*****

Kiera cracked a wide yawn as she patted her hand against her mouth. To her reluctances, she was free from her torture, courtesy of Maya Ibuki. Kiera crossed her arms across her work station and drove her head into them. She let out a long sigh. That was when a cup of steaming hot tea was held beside her head. She lazily rolled to one side to glance up at the person with tired eyes. It was Ibuki, who was wearing magenta-colored pajamas with bunnies and rainbows, wore a pair of pink and fuzzy cat-slippers, and had a pair of matching hair clips that pinned her hair down to one side. She returned a gentle smile.

"Here," she said with a kind voice.

Kiera hesitated at first, "Th…thank you…" She sat up and gingerly took the hot cup in her hands. Despite the painful heat, she took a moment to feel the warmth curl across her slender fingers as Ibuki sat at her station seat. She quietly sipped at her tea with both hands.

"Better?"

"…Thanks again…"

Ibuki perked her head up with surprise, "'Thanks again' for what?"

Kiera slowly turned her head to Ibuki. Due to her lack of sleep, having being tied to a chair and gagged with a red-bean bun, her complexion looked sour. Her make-up was fading, with her eye-liner slightly melted off from recently made sad tears, and her golden blonde hair was in shambles. She looked like she met a ghost, or was one, "For letting me go before the guys leave me tied up until the crack of dawn…I can't believe almost four hours have passed and it's already 2:40 AM…"

Ibuki nervously laughed, "Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha…I guess that we were a little too harsh…but we hoped you understand that what you did was not nice."

Kiera threw her gaze to the ground, still angry, "Yeah whatever…"

Ibuki sighed and shook her head, "Well, I'm off to bed…You should too. Don't worry, I'll figure out an excuse for setting you free…"

Kiera took a moment to glance at Ibuki as she stood. Kiera almost looked sorry as she whispered, "Ibuki…"

Suddenly red-alert alarms blared throughout Central Dogma, yellow strobe lights flashing. Kiera and Ibuki were taken completely by surprise. That was until one screen flashed on to life and large bold red letters appeared in screen. They turned to it and, despite the overall loudness of alarms, they heard their own gasps.

BLUE BLOOD MATCHED: CONFIRMED ANGEL.

*****

_[Icarus flight. Icarus flight. We've detected an unidentified flying object within our vicinity. Take your team and do a sweep on target. Over.]_

"Roger that _Jubilee_, this is Icarus lead. Enroute to target's current position. Over."

Icarus Leader* gazed around through his cockpit window, in search for the so-called UFO. He was the captain of the U.S.A. Air Force, 243rd flight group, Icarus Flight. He and his team were on posted duties with the aircraft carrier _U.S.S. Jubilee_ of the U.S. Navy. Currently, the ship was in the middle of Japanese waters, on patrol in-aid with the _JSSDF_. At first, things were quiet until something was spotted heading into unwanted air space around the _Jubilee_.

He glimpsed at his console timer then to the dark skies above. It was exactly 3:00 AM, Japanese time, and the evening night was still fresh. He continued to look around as he veered his F-22 _Raptor_ around to circle the air space.

"All wings, this is Icarus Lead," he called into his radio-link, "search out UFO and mark him on the spot. Make sure he doesn't give us the slip."

_[Lead, this is Icarus 3. UFO has been spotted, 3 o'clock high from our position.]_

"Roger that," replied Icarus Leader, "Lead to _Jubilee_, we've spotted the target. We're moving in to intercept and identify, over."

Icarus Leader pulled back his joystick and brought the _Raptor _into a short climb. His wingmen of three other _Raptors _followed in suit as they all head towards the destined point. Icarus Leader looked around, seeing nothing but clouds. Finally, he saw a shape in the distance. Unable to make out what it was, he set his radio-link to open channels.

"Unidentified pilot. This is the U.S.A. Air Force flight team Icarus of the _U.S.S. Jubilee_. Please respond and identify yourself or you will be considered as hostile." No response, but static. The figure seemed to turn towards him and his flight team. Odd, he thought, yet nonetheless duties were duties. "Unidentified pilot. You are about to cross into unauthorized airspace. Please respond or your will be fired upon!" Still no response; only static, "_Jubilee_, this is Icarus Lead. UFO is not squawking. What should we−" Without warning a blue laser streak of light seared through the air. It tore straight though Icarus 2 before he could scream. To Icarus Leader's horror, his wingman exploded into burning shards.

"Break off! Break off!" cried out Icarus Leader. He and his other wingmen sharply spun around to avoid enemy fire. Unfortunately, Icarus 3 was instantly shot by a blue laser in the tail engine. It caught on fire, spun out of control, and plummeted towards the sea. Before Icarus Leader could contact Icarus 3, everything went static. He gripped at his controls as he continuously glanced at the devastating figure, "_Jubilee_! _Jubilee_! UFO has opened fire on us! I've lost Icarus 2 and 3. Permission to return fire! Repeat: permission to return fire!"

_[…Permission granted. All weapons go hot! Blaze him! Blaze him!]_

Without another word, Icarus leader swooped up into the air and started his attack run with his last wingman. The two _Raptors_ zipped into the clouds and screamed its way towards the figure. The two fighters launched off a volley of missiles. They soar through the sky and smashed directly onto their target. Just before Icarus Leader could celebrate, the missiles' explosive lights revealed to him a horrific sight.

The UFO was enormous, equal to being an aircraft carrier that can best two large battlecruisers. It had a wide and sharp-pointed metal carapace; it had long wide triangular wings like an albatross, and a small v-shaped visor across its front, possibly the cockpit. Icarus Leader thought he could strike there.

He and his wingman closed in. The UFO blasted off multiple lasers in every direction. A pair of laser pierced right through Icarus 4, his last wingman, as Icarus Leader was grazed from all side. With a loud cry, Icarus Leader madly fired off all missiles and had his main Vulcan gun chattered like crazy. They all exploded against the enemy's cockpit. Not before long hundreds of snake-like figures lashed out straight at the brave US pilot. Icarus Leader did not have a chance to evade.

*****

"Requiem confirmed! Harpy Category!" shouted Ibuki. She sat at her work station with a head set wrapped around her head, still wearing pajamas.

At the top command platform, Ikari and Misato were present. Strangely enough, Ikari was still wearing his black Nerv Commander uniform as he wore his yellow-tinted glasses. He sat the metal desk with his hands folded in front of his mouth and has a white glare reflecting off his glasses. Misato, on the other hand, yawned loudly as she was in her pajamas; more of a pink nightgown, with her Deputy Commander uniform-jacket wrapped around her shoulders. She had a small night-cap limply hanging on her head as she dangled a Pocky stick from her lips.

"Okay people, what's the sit'ch so far?" she muttered, tired.

"A Requiem has been identified. It has just flown past the _U.S.S. Jubilee_ and its heading straight for Tokyo-3 by air!" reported Kiera. Unlike Ibuki, she was still wearing her dune-colored Nerv uniform. Despite her exhaustion, her make-up was completely wiped off and her mind was wide awake. Even without her make-up, she looked naturally pretty, "I'm starting up the city's defenses now. Flak guns are running hot!"

The door to Central Dogma slid open. Several people started to rush in and went to their stations, either in pajamas or mismatched uniforms. Aoba and Hyuga dashed into the console and headed straight for their seats. Aoba simply wore a pair of shorts and a vest-undershirt, while Hyuga had his brown pajamas on with his Nerv uniform coat across his shoulders. They were surprised to see Kiera.

"What the?! Who let you free?!" growled Aoba.

"Now isn't the time, Aoba-san!" snapped Ibuki, without turning away from her screen. Kiera ignored everything else, completely, and professionally handled her job.

"Come on!" called Hyuga. He grabbed Aoba by the arm and led themselves to their seats. They instantly placed on their headsets and went straight to work.

"This is a problem…" whispered Ikari, "Atticus is not ready to take on two Requiems consecutively."

"Well we've got no choice. He's our only flyboy and he's always eager to fight the Requiems for you and us, Shinji-kun," replied Misato.

"I don't want to risk him to go in, _alone_…"

Misato frozed, her expression still sleepy-looking. She turned to Ikari with a quiet look, her Pocky still dangled from her lips.

"You're not serious…"

Ikari kept his stare at the main screen of a large flying figure in the sky. He did not wish to answer that statement.

*****

My eyes woke up with a start. I felt myself breathing heavily. I had a nightmare again. I sat up in my bed, inside my dark room. I gripped my heart as I felt several points across my body stinging with pain. Why? What were these nightmares I keep having?

The door to my room suddenly opened, a flood of the hallway lights poured in. I blinked from the abrupt flash of light and slowly turned to the opened door.

"M-Misato-chan?" I wondered. She was standing there at the door way, wearing a strange set of a nightgown and her uniform jacket wrapped around her shoulders. I looked closer at her. Strangely enough, she was not smiling nor laughing. In her eyes, I saw her seriousness of something.

"I'm sorry to wake you," she said, in her non-casual voice. It sounded like the time she asked the Nerv Scientist and Technician to leave.

"Is…something wrong?" I suddenly heard faint thunderclap around me. I practically sprung up on my bed with surprise. Misato-chan, on the other hand passively stood at the door. I've finally noticed that she was holding onto something. A set of clothes?

"Do you trust me, Keiko?" she asked. I hesitated, unsure of what to say. I slowly nodded.

Misato-chan held forth that set of clothes, hung on a coat hanger. It was a yellow shirt, a crimson red jacket with several black and green strips, black pants, and a red mini-skirt, "Put these on for me."

*****

The double fenced-doors slid apart in both ways, once the elevator touched the deepest parts of the Nerv Headquarters. Where are we, I asked myself. Misato-chan briskly strode forward without any words. I quickly followed after her pace.

I felt a bit strange…in this new set of clothing. I wore it all: shirt, jacket, and the mini-skirt on top on my pants. I wished to ask her tons of questions…but just by glimpsing at Misato-chan's serious air, I decided to keep my tongue silent.

"_Konbanwa_. Misato."

"Eh?" I wondered. I looked up ahead and I suddenly gasped, "A-Atticus-sama?!"

Atticus stood at a clearing, which looked like a large underground hangar, and turned to me at the call of his name.

"_Konbanwa_. Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham," he answered passively.

After a long time of silence, Misato-chan cracked a grin, "It's not morning anymore, Atticus. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"Understood. Misato," he answered.

"_Anou_…Misato-chan…may I ask, what's going on?" I asked.

Without even having to think, Misato-chan answered with a faint smile, "You and Atticus are to launch ASAP and deal with the Requiem."

I softly nodded in understanding…EH?!! Me and Atticus-sama? Horrified I looked up at Misato-chan, "ME?! ME?! BUT I CAN'T−"

"Yes you can," interjected Misato-chan, "trust us you can. You too have the power to fight the Requiems."

"WHAT?" I shivered uncontrollably.

Misato-chan turned to me, "It's…that suit you're wearing. It was specifically designed to you." For some unknown reason, those words were spoken faster than average. But I was too frightened to keep that in my head.

"But…But…I can't…"

"I believe you can." I perked my head up, snapping out of my fears at the voice. I turned to stared at Atticus. He passively gazed back at me, "I trust you."

"You…do?" I asked. He returned a soft nod.

Misato-chan gave out a sad sigh, "Forgive me for dragging you into this…but trust me, Nerv and Atticus really needs your help. You do have that power to fight the Requiems," She turned to me with solemn eyes, "I can't tell you every detail at this time…but I promise one day you will know everything that is going on and come to an understanding with us all…Do you trust me…" She finally cracked a faint smile again, "Keiko-chan?"

I was silent the entire time. I first stared at Misato-chan, seeing the truth in her eyes. Then, I turned to Atticus. He kept his stare at me, passive and resigned, but…I saw trust in his greenish-purple eyes. I took in a deep breath and answered with a confident nod.

Misato returned the gesture with strong eyes, "Then from now on, you will be identified as EVA-02. Do you understand?"

*****

Within Tokyo-3, multiple giant flak cannons aimed at the sky and opened fire. Explosive shells shattered with a howl into the air as they all bit at the enormous figure in the sky.

The flying Requiem finally arrived at the coast of Tokyo-3. It started its hovering flight over the city as its gun flaps open to extend out hundreds of laser cannons. It soon began its rain of fire, setting ablaze the city's defenses and buildings.

*****

"Requiem has arrived over Section Delta of Tokyo-3! It has begun its assault!" cried Hyuga.

"Half of the city's defenses have been neutralized!" cried out Ibuki.

"Things aren't getting any better are they?" muttered Aoba.

_[Commander!]_

Ikari perked his head up at the sound of Central Dogma's speakers. Communications were currently linked with the launching hangar. Misato's voice buzzed into the command room.

_[EVA-01 and EVA-02 are ready for immediate launch! Green light! I repeat, green light!]_ she called.

Hyuga perked his head up with surprise, "E-EVA-02?"

Ibuki stopped typing and her face was shocked. Kiera stole a glance at them all with curiosity.

"EVA-0…but I thought−" gasped Aoba.

"Ichikawa-san," called out Ikari. Instantly, the three Nerv Computer Technicians fell silent. As if understanding on the spot – or remembering something – Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga normally returned to their work. One of them tried to hide a grin.

Kiera at first blinked in confusion. She then turned to her Commander, "Sir?"

Ikari kept his gaze on the main screen, "Initiate launch sequence."

Kiera grinned with a confident nod, "_Ryoukai_!" Without hesitation, she pressed the enter button.

*****

I shivered so badly as I stood side by side with Atticus. We were both on top of a large platform; the same one when Atticus appeared from underground in the last attack. I felt that my body kept bumping into Atticus and I was worried he would yell at me. He didn't and said nothing as he simply stood on the spot, passive.

I turned to Misato-chan. She was off to one side of the hangar with a group of technicians. She had just yelled through a speaker phone to someone on the other line.

"Green light! Go-go-go!" she cried. She turned on the spot and gave us a wide grin and a thumbs up, "Time to fly!"

Without warning, the latches to the platform snapped off with sparks. The platform we stood on suddenly bolted upward and ascended at unbelievable speed. I could not help a shriek as I felt the growing pressure squeeze on to me. Suddenly, I was safely held by a pair of arms. I was surprised, the pressure slowly alleviated off of my body as I looked up. I could not believe it. It was Atticus who held me in his arms. He took the brunt of the force coming down on us, yet he never uttered a sound.

"It is alright," he said, unfazed, "no harm will be inflicted upon you if I shield you from the initial G-force. It will eventually be over."

I returned a nod. I knew my cheeks were burning as I huddled up closer against Atticus' chest. It was…a strange feeling, being held by him. Wait. How am I surviving with Atticus if this platform is going nearly at Mach 3…Am I really not normal?

*****

"Ichikawa-san. Set up the Nebula Spore field for EVA-01 and EVA-02," called Ikari.

Kiera typed halfway and paused, confused, "Ah…what was that Nebula Spore thing again…"

Ibuki leaned sideways to Kiera, her eyes never leaving her screen, "The special energy particle field that allows Atticus to fight for exactly one hour before switching to internal battery. It can also act as on-the-spot recharging method for him."

Kiera eyes squinted and glared at Ibuki from the corner of them, "I knew that."

Ibuki sat back straight, unbothered, "You're welcome."

Kiera puffed her cheeks in annoyance. She quickly swiped her fingers across her keyboard.

*****

From the broken streets of Tokyo-3, several concealed compartments opened up. They extended out huge nozzles into the air. Soon, one by one they started to spray out a condensed and energetically charged mist of electric particles.

As they floated into the air, they gave off bright flashes of majestic colors. Altogether, it looked like a nebula itself has settled down onto the Earth.

*****

"Requiem is changing course! It's moving from Section Delta and crossing over to Section Charlie!" called out Hyuga.

"Don't worry, I'm running more guns up in that sector…the ones in Section Delta are toasted," replied Aoba.

"Nothing is affecting the Harpy Requiem," replied Ibuki, worried.

"Aoba, try to intensify defensive firepower onto one focus point against the Harpy Requiem," spoke Ikari, "see if you can find a weakness somewhere."

Aoba returned an affirmative nod, "_Ryoukai_."

The door behind Ikari slid open. In stepped Misato as the door closed behind her. She stepped up to Ikari's side, silent and resigned, as she looked straight at the screen. From her uniform-jacket's pocket, she pulled out her box of Pocky chocolate-covered biscuit sticks and pinched it between her lips. Her body lightly shivered as she cracked a smile.

"So what did I miss?"

"Nebula Spore has successfully filled Section Charlie!" called out Kiera, "EVA-01 and EVA-02 are now…topside!"

*****

The Harpy Requiem lightly hovered over a large span of city grounds. Multiple cannons and flak guns barked powerful rounds against its shell, but nothing seemed to affect it. In one smooth motion, a single laser beam shot down and sliced across the ground. A trail of explosion followed in its wake.

Suddenly a pair of tiny figures was catapulted straight into the sky. The Harpy Requiem halted in its levitating tracks at the sight. It even heard a sharp scream.

*****

I can't help but screaming as Atticus and I flew hundreds of miles above Tokyo-3. Any further and I thought we could touch the moon. I stopped screaming as we descended, with Atticus still holding on to me as we fell. As we dropped, I noticed a shimmering cloud of light surrounding us. I gazed around. I was instantly astounded by the lively lights that hazed over a large portion of Tokyo-3. They looked like polar lights, ones that you see from the Antarctic; only these looked more like…from the beauties of outer space itself.

Slowly, Atticus released me in the air and we both free-fall down. He reached out and held onto my left hand with his right. He then spoke out, his metal ear-fin shaped communication device clipped to his ear.

"This is EVA-01, Atticus. Arrived above mission area with EVA-02. We are awaiting further orders."

_[KEIKO-VIXEN?!]_

The voice nearly blew my ear out, why? I then realized that I too had that metal ear-fin radio attachment clipped to my ear. I thought I heard Kiera's voice.

"I-Ichikawa-san?!" I yelped.

_[Don't _Ichikawa-san_ me, you vixen! How did you become…] _I heard her let out an angry breath, _[Okay whatever! I'll deal with you later when this is all over. Just follow my instructions, GOT IT!]_

I flinched at the last of Kiera's words. Vixen, I thought. What vixen? Was that supposed to be a military code for something?

"Target confirmed. Requiem, Harpy Category. EVA-01, engaging the target."

"Th-this is EVA-ze-02. I'm following Atticus-sama!"

Atticus and I sailed straight down toward the ground. Or better yet, right above the Requiem. I wished I could gasp, but the free-fall made me choke instead. In seconds, we both landed right on top of the Requiem's left wing. As if pulled down by a heavy weight, the entire Requiem teetered down and banked to the left.

As the Requiem slanted, we both lost our balanced and rolled uncontrollably down its wing. Atticus stopped rolling halfway down and thrust his fist into the wing. His fist pierced straight through its surface and he gripped some exposed wires. I on the other hand kept rolling down, unable to grab hold of anything. The edge of the wing drew closer to me. A hand shot down and grabbed my wrist. I suddenly dangled in mid-aired as I shrieked. My legs hanged in the air below me; not a pretty sight. I looked up to see Atticus, who passively held onto me while he gripped onto the stretch of wires.

"Did you suffer any damages? Acknowledge," he said. I slowly shook my head. I gently gripped at his wrist, as he held onto me. Soon, I heard Kiera's voice crack into my ear.

_[Okay you two, listen up and listen up good!]_ she growled, _[You can't do anything to this Requiem while it's still airborne. It is only vulnerable to your attacks when it is in Goliath form. For your information, Keiko-vixen, a Goliath form is when it transforms into a humanoid mode, like a giant per se…]_

I nodded, "Th-thank you, Ichika−"

_[Don't be,]_ snapped Kiera. I gulped as she continued, _[Try to puncture its wings and the several propeller engines along its ends. Without their balance, the Requiem is bound to touch the ground and it is completely useless when in their Myrmidon form…which is their vehicle form, Keiko-vixen.]_

I nodded again, this time staying quiet.

_[So to sum it up,]_ continued Kiera, _[kick – its – butt.]_

Atticus nodded, "_Ryoukai_. Field Operator." He turned to me, "Can you move? Acknowledge."

"B-but…I don't know how to fight…I'm really sorry, Atticus-sama!"

"You can."

I was surprised as I stared right at Atticus. He looked right back down at me, his tone never changing, "I believe in you, Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham. In order to use your powers, you must synchronize with the one within."

"The one…within?" I whispered. For a moment, I did not know what to do. I shook off my fears and closed my eyes. At first, I felt nothing. Suddenly, I started to feel…a warm glow inside of me. What was this? I…never had this feeling before. Why now?

"The Aegis Cloth helps you to become stronger in synchronization with the one within you. Concentrate. Hear its call. And become one."

Become one. A cold sensation splashed over my entire body and mind. My head grew weary, why? I continued to feel I was standing under a cold lake. For some reason…this feeling is so…nostalgic. Soon my conscious slipped into a deep and bright blue dream.

*****

Atticus gripped at the wires of the Requiem's wings. He noticed that they started to snap under his weight, one by one. As well, the Requiem began to regain its balance as it started to lift up its left wing from the ground. Atticus stared down at Keiko. Her head hung limply forward, in deep slumber.

Finally, Atticus whispered, "Awaken, EVA-02."

Keiko lifted up her head. She slowly opened her eyes. They burned electrifying ice-blue. She started to swing her legs back and forth. Soon, she and Atticus swung like a pendulum. When they reached the greatest peak on their right, Atticus tossed her into the air.

In the air, Keiko kept her body closed and tight. She soared upward, her back arced like a mermaid that leapt out of the ocean. She flipped backward and fell back down to the Requiem. Right before she hit the surface of the Harpy Requiem, her eyes flashed with power.

She landed straight onto the Requiem's back. The entire machine dropped several meters straight downward, as if something destructive landed on its back. Keiko slowly stood up as she was in the middle of a dented and ripped-metal crater.

With blinding speed, she ran off to the right wing's edge. and started to take out large engines that had propellers running rapidly. She swiped her leg under one engine's beam support and punched it right off its broken roots. The dead engine coughed, exploded, and fell down to the city in a charred wreck. Keiko quickly ran to another one and gave it a devastating flying kick. The next engine was torn right off and it flew into another one, destroying it. Atticus swung back and forth. Right before the wires in his hand snapped, he flipped upward and spun around gracefully.

The Requiem's laser guns opened up and started to cut the sky with deadly blue lasers. Keiko back flipped away and practically danced under every shot. Atticus nimbly dove right through and landed onto the Requiem's left wing joint. His landing caused a huge fault across its surface. Soon, the wing snapped itself off.

The Requiem seemed to give out a wail of agony, its body losing altitude and went straight to the ground. It crashed into the city and ploughed through many buildings, for several kilometers, before it came to a groaning stop.

Atticus and Keiko stood up and swiftly leapt off its back. Several far miles away, they landed across the debris-filled street. They both turned to glare at the Requiem. The Requiem groaned again. Suddenly, gears and cogs twitched and turned from inside.

*****

"Woohoo!" cheered Misato, a Pocky in her raised fist, "That was sweet!"

Ikari could not help a smile.

"Alright! They did it!" hollered Hyuga.

Aoba yanked Hyuga back down into his seat, "Not yet!"

"Oh…" uttered Hyuga, spirits gone.

"Commander!" called out Ibuki, "Requiem is now changing from Myrmidon to Goliath form!"

"Good," replied Ikari, his voice steady, "continue the attack."

The four bridge bunnies of Nerv whirled on their chairs and returned a crisp salute.

"_Ryoukai_."

*****

Atticus and Keiko passively watched in silence as the Requiem began to take humanoid shape. Its remaining wing unfolded to become a long flexible ape-like arm. Its body was like an upside down tear drop, having a wide and bulky shoulder, a triangular abdomen, and stubby legs. An angry glint flash across the Requiem's v-shaped visor – its eye – and it lashed out its right arm. It extended out to become even dangerously longer.

Atticus and Keiko leapt away to different sides, letting the clawed Requiem's hand smash into the ground. The two Units landed further back. The Requiem slowly pulled out its arm and started to waddle forward.

"Central Dogma. Requesting Buster Rifle, _Pilum_," said Atticus.

_[Ryoukai! Sending in the _Pilum_!]_ called Kiera.

Right next to Atticus, the ground opened up a rectangular compartment. A tall and flat cupboard-like stall rose up from below the ground and stopped at Atticus' height. Steam hissed from it and a blind-like door rolled back. Inside, there was a shining silver assault rifle, with gold strips running across its long barrel, as dry-ice-steam misted its base. Atticus placed a firm grip onto it and drew it out of its rack. He held it by his side as the compartment slid back down.

Keiko stared at the Requiem, with an equal expression to Atticus. She whispered, "_Javelin_…" Another compartment opened up beside her and out stood another stall. It opened up to holster a long y-shaped yellow laser rifle, with a power cord attached to it. She clamped her left hand to its side, the power cord automatically ejecting, and passed it to her right hand to hold onto its grip that was the center point of the y-shape. She readied herself.

The Requiem was within attack distance again and lashed its arms out.

*****

"Hit it, Keiko-chan!" cried out Misato.

*****

Keiko fired off a devastating charged particle projectile from its long barrel. Its initial shot practically tore apart the air and broke the sound barrier in seconds. It collided with the Requiem's hand, ripping its metal frames into hundreds of pieces. The deadly energy bolt ran through its arm and through the other end of its shoulder.

From the force of the shot, the Harpy Requiem fell with a shriek. On the ground, its body opened up hundreds of compartments. Instantly snake like rocket anchors lashed out like hydras. Atticus immediately bolted forward and took the initiative.

He leapt forward through the air and fired his fully-automatic silver assault rifle. High caliber bullets shattered each anchor head that soared towards him and severed them altogether. As he dove through the flood of iron-dagger-headed serpents, he nimbly flipped around and leapt off of each head that struck at him. His fire blared off non-stop as he shoot forward, left, right, and behind him without turning.

Keiko ran forward. Just as Atticus warded off the anchor heads, Keiko skidded to a halt beside him and fired off another killer energy round. The shot sailed through the air as Requiem slowly stood back up. When the shot was about to hit it, its Prism Barricade appeared and took the blow. Smoke erupted and flew over the Requiem's protection, canceling out any harm.

"Strike the Requiem. I will break its defense," said Atticus. Keiko nodded and tossed her hi-powered energy rifle, _Javelin_, to Atticus. He held it at the ready and aimed, as Keiko broke off into an accelerated dash.

The _Javelin_ howled off another shot by Atticus. It struck dead-center against the Prism Barricade and faded away. Atticus kept firing, pummeling the shield without mercy. As the Prism Barricade took more and more hits, sparks started to dance across Atticus' arms.

Keiko leapt into high up into the air and started her attack dive. Atticus gripped his shaking right hand at the energy rifle's handle. He let loose one last shot. A sudden red flash flared across his arm and tore off his Aegis Cloth's titanium right sleeve.

*****

"Ah!" cried Kiera, "Atticus' right arm just flat-lined! He overused the _Javelin_ and took its recoil too much!"

"Atticus…" whispered Misato, "you know that weapon can only be used by Keiko without breaking a sweat…why?"

Ikari said nothing as he watched on. He whispered, out of Misato's ear shot, "You've grown…Atticus."

*****

Atticus' intact right arm fell limply against his side, the Javelin dropped to the ground. The last energy shot shattered the Prism Barricade into broke shards. Atticus passively stood on the spot, unfazed of his limp right arm. He watched Keiko in silence.

_[Keiko-vixen, you are clear for Evangelion Overdrive!]_ cried Kiera.

"**Evangelion Overdrive: **Y-Angel Shatter!" cried Keiko.

Her Aegis Cloth started to glow, absorbing the energy around her. With a flash of light, she changed into a burning torch of white-hot flames. She dove straight at the Requiem. Just as it finally came to its feet, Keiko shot right through it like a powerful comet.

A massive explosion erupted, followed by a tsunami-like shockwave. Its explosion shock pulsed throughout the city, knocking over several old buildings to the ground. Atticus still stood where he was, unbothered. The explosion instantly disappeared and the wind died back to normal. Soon, a slender figure started to descend from the sky.

Atticus sprinted forward across the street, clearing a hundred meter track in less than 10 seconds. He leapt up into the air and with his good left hand he caught something that dropped from the sky. He gracefully landed on one knee and turned his gaze to what he had caught.

It was Keiko, who looked weak and exhausted. Her eyes slowly faded back to their normal color. She finally let out a tired breath as she regained her former consciousness.

*****

What…happened? The last thing I remember was Atticus telling me to synchronize with the one within myself…Everything else made me feel I was placed underwater. I tried to get up from where I laid. Shockingly, I couldn't move my body at all. I felt like panicking.

"It is alright."

I taken aback by that voice and I turned to it. To my surprise it was Atticus, who held me in his left arm and balanced my limp body across his left knee. I struggled to move my neck, the only body part that I had control, and noticed something. His right arm sleeve was torn off at the shoulder, black soot padded across his bare skin.

"This is your first time in synchronization with your inner one. Your body has exceeded normal human performance limitations and will temporarily power-down until you recover."

"Atticus-sama…your arm…" I whispered, anxious, ignoring my body.

"A minor injury. Overall damage percentage is minimal. I am still able to operate, but my performance will be shortened by several degrees without the use of my right hand."

I turned to look up at him, "Why…why did you do that?"

Atticus did not answer my question. Instead he continued, "Mission success. Well done. EVA-02, Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham."

His words took me aback by surprise, but it didn't affect me for too long. If I was able to move my hand…I know I could not help a blush…I would have touched his face. So, I strongly imagined that I could.

"Please…" I said, gazing into his greenish-purple eyes, "call me Keiko."

Atticus was silent at first. He finally blinked, "Hai. Keiko-san."

I smiled, almost peacefully, as I felt my mind slipping into exhaustion. I gently rested my head against his arm and let everything go as I fell asleep.

"Thank…you…Atticus-sama…" I whispered.

*****

'_Dear Mother:_

_I missed you so much. I am in Tokyo-3 and am in safe hands with your friend, Commander Ikari-sama. To be honest, I am really excited to be here with him. The organization Nerv is an amazing place. There are a lot of nice people here, like Ibuki-san, Aoba-san, Hyuga-san, as well as Ichikawa-san. I met with Misato-chan and she constantly surprises me with her youthful and energetic cheerfulness. I really love it here._

_Most important of all – and please don't laugh or get any wrong ideas – I met a boy. His name is Atticus-sama. He is strong, brave, and very kind, despite his overall appearance. Together with everyone here at Nerv, I've learned a lot from my new friends. I feel like I'm with a good family, like with you and daddy (^_^)._

_I wish to tell you more, but it's really late and I had a long hard day trying to help out Nerv. Hope to hear from you soon._

_With love: Keiko-chin.'_

I gave out a wide yawn as I sat before the computer in my new room at Nerv. After some hours of sleeping, I was able to regain control of my body. Well most of it. My legs were still asleep, my bones were aching, and my head nodded off to sleep just by sitting still. No matter what though, I wanted to send a message to mother, to let her know that I am alright. I do not wish for her to worry about me…because if she gets worry, _something_ happens…

I resisted a giggle, but it shifted into a dead-tired yawn. My eyes fluttered to a close, I could barely stand it any longer. Unable to check my letter, I quickly sent it off to mother before I forget. With a smile, I folded my arms across the metal desk and rested my head in them. No sooner had my face touched my arms, I was fast asleep.

*****

The door to Keiko's room slid open, light spilled across the floor. In the middle of the rectangular white puddle, a figure stood within the door frame. The door closed and both the figure's shadow and the puddle disappeared.

It approached a slumbering Keiko with stealthy steps. It soon reached her side and gazed down at her. After a quiet moment, the figure reached a hand out and turned off Keiko's desk lamp. The computer screen automatically went to sleep, cutting any source of light over Keiko or the figure.

Finally, a warm blanket was pulled up and wrapped around Keiko's shoulder. She snuggled her head closer in her arms, undisturbed from her tired state. The figure started to leave. The door opened again, this time revealing the figure.

Atticus stood in front of the opened door, while he was still inside of Keiko's room. His right arm was wrapped up in a cast and slung across and above his stomach. He turned to Keiko, revealing a single white eye-patch taped over his left eye. He gazed at her in a deep and comfortable sleep as she curled up across the desk with a smile.

"Atticus…sama…" she whispered.

Atticus right eye blinked, his greenish-purple eye dimly lit under the hallway's lights. He then gave a light and thankful bow.

"_Arigatou gozaimasu_…Keiko-san."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**JAPANESE TERMS:**

**-chi-n:** As stated in the Anime _AIR_: _"-_chin_ is a corruption of -_chan_, more uncommon and, in a way, cuter."_

**R**_**(i)**_**-yo-u-ka-i:** In Japanese, as well as national military phrasing, it means "Roger!"

**O-ya-su-mi-na-sa-i:** In Japanese, it means "Good night."

**-vixen:** Just to let readers know, this suffix is not Japanese, but English; it represents a fox-based creature literally called a vixen. It is Kiera Ichikawa's personal opinion of tagging Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham in a nasty, nasty, way.


	4. Contact 04: Under One Roof

****

******Any author-original Characters/Mecha/Items/and others will be tagged with '*'.**

**This is set several years after the following conflict of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, created and owned by Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

**Neon Genesis Evangelion: EVA Reborn**

_Contact 04: Under One Roof_

Everything was pitched black inside a sole room. It was almost void of light, except for one small area in the back of that room. There was a tall window, as high as the hidden ceiling itself. As the blank white light from outside shone through the glass, the window's frames sliced them apart to form mosaic-squares of light. In front of the window was a desk; behind it was a young man.

He was 23 years old, young, slender, and had a business-like air around him. Despite his thorough and greyish-cyan suit, his hair was wild dark blue. His soulless orange eyes glimmered under the darkness, as his hands were folded across his waist.

"Doctor Moriarty…" he called into the darkness. As if by order, another figure stepped forward from the darkness and onto the rug of light. Its shadowy frames ensnared him like a deadly net. He was 60 years old and possibly grew even older by the minute. He wore a bleach-white lab coat and had shocking white close-cut hair and beard. A technological visor was balanced across his eyes and nose bridge, a single flashing red dot of light bounced back and forth across his visor.

"Doctor Moriarty Menov* at your disposal…Master Nero*…" bowed Moriarty.

Nero sat up right in his large chair and leaned forward across his desk, as if ready to pounce on his prey, "My two Requiems have been destroyed…explain yourself."

Moriarty stood back up. His back is straight and his voice did not falter by an inch, "It seemed that your – so-called – enemies have re-formed themselves…and I was unable to predict they would have fought back so boldly…" He grinned, "…ever since their very first encounter. Before the Titan model invaded Tokyo-3."

"When Titanus was lost at first, I thought it would have been a technical flaw in your design schema…" replied Nero, settling back in his chair. He ignored the sneer on Moriarty's face, "I trusted that you would do what you can to prevent another flaw from entering Harpuia…unfortunately, both were actually destroyed…"

"Hmph," chuckled Moriarty, "Believe me, Master Nero, I thought I fixed my own problems as well…It seems that your enemies have reactivated those machines that used to defeat those – so-called – Great Angels…"

"Do not mock them, doctor…they deserve as high of honor in death to heroes…" slightly scowled Nero. His orange eyes flickered with anger, "Trust me…you do not wish to cross my lines again…"

Moriarty returned a carefree chuckle, "Right…Anyways, I am not quite certain if…" He scratched his beard for a moment, almost faking it, "what do you call−"

"Evangelions…" replied Nero, bluntly.

"Yes, Evangelions…As I mentioned, I am not sure if Nerv has successfully reactivated them without the proper equipment, since they were supposed to be disbanded 27 years ago…Still, it is better to check what are we dealing with, than to end up in utter failure…" replied Moriarity

"I trust you will make sure of that…" said Nero flatly, "What is the status of the Prototype?"

"The Prototype is still undergoing repairs. It will still take some time before we can retrieve substantial amount of data it collected during its last combat trial from its fractured core," smoothly reported Moriarty. He straightened his back, "I am confident to get a valuable copy of it as soon as possible."

Nero waved his index finger at Moriarty, "Doctor…I don't care about your so-called confidence…As head of SeL Incorporated, I am a man of business and I always rely on cold hard facts to get straight to **my** point…As well, I only – want – results…satisfying results." Nero lowered his hand and raised his head, as if to glimpse down at Moriarty from where he sat, "Do I make myself absolutely clear?"

Moriarty kept his visored gaze over Nero. Finally, he returned a light chuckle, "Crystal – clear…" He then gave a short bow, "Master Nero…" With that, Moriarty turned and left into the deep darkness. As he walked off, he gave himself a secret and arrogant smirk. Soon, his entire body melted into the shadowy darkness.

Nero wearily blinked, "Basil*…Constantine*."

A pair of young and slender figures stepped out from the shadows and stood before Nero's desk. The light across the floor revealed half of their identities, both being young men.

One was 18 years old, with wild orange hair and a haughty expression. He wore a long yellow coat over his brown and green-stripped clothing. Plugged to his ears was a pair of MP3 headphones, buzzing with loud and fast-paced music. Basil opened his closed emerald green eyes and yanked the wire, unplugging his ears with a grimace, "Yeah pops?"

The other was 19 years old, who had short auburn hair, tranquil cerulean blue eyes, and a gentle and down-to-earth complexion on his face. He too wore a long coat, only his was a mix of dark blackish-blue and several dark red patches over evergreen clothing. He was reading a thick novel, held in his right hand, until he closed it and lowered it from his face. Constantine gave Nero a calm and cheerful smile, "Yes father?"

"When the doctor dispatches the next Requiem to Tokyo-3," said Nero, "I want you two to go on a little errand for me…"

Basil's eyes widen with utter excitement. He pumped his right arm by his side with a cheeky grin, "Su-weeeet!"

"With restrictions of course…" Nero added flatly.

Basil stumbled on the spot, his ecstasy shattered by Nero's words, "WHAT?! Aw, but come on, pops! No restrictions, pleeeaaase!" Basil could barely hold himself back as he narrowed his eyes at Nero, "I had enough of those phoney 3D fighting simulations! I want the real deal!"

Nero blinked, "The time for you to take part in the destruction of my enemies will come soon enough…rest assured…" He quietly turned to Constantine, "Make sure he does not get out of hand."

Constantine returned a nod, "I shall, father."

"BUT – I – DON'T – WANNA – WAIT!" groaned Basil. He looked like a child whose toy was taken away by his parents, as a punishment.

Constantine turned to Basil and calmly smiled, "You shouldn't pester father, Basil. He will eventually give you a chance to fight someone strong…"

Basil straightened his back and folded his arms. He threw his gaze to one side in silent tantrum, "You better be right about that, C…or it'll cost ya…"

"Here are you objectives…" sighed Nero, "find out what are my oppositions in Tokyo-3. Whatever happens with the Requiem and its encounter with the enemy−" Nero stared straight at Basil, "**Do – not – interfere**." Basil groaned, rolled his eyes, and lightly kicked at the floor, "I want a reconnaissance on who I will be dealing with…No mishaps…Do I make myself absolutely clear?"

Constantine and Basil returned a synchronized nod, answering in unison, "Understood,"

"Good…" whispered Nero. He lay back in his seat and watched the two boys departed, both swallowed into shadows' bowels, "Soon, Nerv, very soon…you shall fall under my righteous inferno, for the sake of the Great Angels you so happily massacred…" Nero's orange eyes glinted with malice, "And after your demise, next…the world…"

*****

My eyes fluttered open from my sleep. I pushed myself up across my bed and rubbed my eyes. I gave a wide yawn as I lightly patted my mouth. Finally, I stared into empty space deep in thought.

It has been several days since the last Requiem attack on Tokyo-3. Since then, I have been pulling all-nighters in hopes to redo my research of energy generation. I let out a sigh and a smile. Fortunately, I remembered I completed it last night. The Nerv scientists then took over the more major parts of my research and try to create a battery pack for EVA-01.

Oops, I thought, that's not the right name. I must have picked up on calling _him_ that, ever since I was surrounded by other technicians that use that title…I smiled a little wider and tried to hide a blush, even from me. Atticus Ayanami Ikari is his true name, besides being called as EVA-01…Come to think of it…I too have a similar code name.

I brought my legs about over the egde of my bed and stood up. I stretched out as I felt the tired muscles in my back tickled me. I am Keiko Langley-Soryu Birmingham, also known as EVA-02. I could not help a frown. I kept trying to get more details of why I was called this ID name, as well as how did I come across obtaining the power equal to Atticus. We both shared the same strength. Strength of an EVA, as other people in Nerv would whisper about.

I shook my head. I doubt now is a good time to be thinking about that. I was actually eager to find out about the progress of this new battery pack that the scientists plan to make. The battery pack is meant for Atticus. For some reason he is like a machine that requires constant energy supply or he will last no longer than eight minutes. I wished I could help Atticus any way possible…for he saved my life.

I covered my shy smiled with my hand again and I approached my dresser. I just couldn't wait to see Atticus out of his recharging tank, walking around like a normal person. I opened both doors of my dresser, I gagged. All my clothing were completely identical…My specially made crimson combat uniform made by Nerv, the Aegis Cloth.

I recalled Misato-chan telling me that as the newest 'EVA' of Nerv, I was obliged to be on combat-standby whenever a Requiem would appear again. I think she may have taken it too literally.

*****

I let out a deep sigh as I strode down the headquarters' small hallway. Almost everything was metallic as I heard my own footsteps tap under me. The reason I sighed was because of my outfit…my Aegis Cloth.

Though it was strangely comfortable, and somewhat suitable with the short mini-skirt on top of my black pants, but nonetheless it looked a little awkward. It was practically a cross-breed between half of a sailor-school uniform and a military uniform. I let out a sigh again.

Suddenly, I smelled something. Hm? I thought. I stopped and turned to my right. Beside me was a wide and large metal door. I smelled something…something good and nostalgic. I wonder what was going on inside.

My curiosity got the better of me and I strode right through the automatic doors. I stepped into a large room, almost equal in size to my old high school cafeteria. I saw long tables and benches, but the entire area was void of life. Still, I continue to smell that delicious scent. My mouth watered a bit and I couldn't help a gulp. I slowly followed the source of the scent toward an open kitchen range. That was until I heard familiar voices.

"That's right, nice and easy," said a female voice softly.

"Understood, lowering performance output by 10%," said a young male's voice. I peeked into the kitchen. I could not believe what I was seeing.

"Misato-chan?" I wondered, "Atticus-sama?"

Misato-chan perked her head up, from whatever she was doing, and turned to me. To my surprise, her cheeks were patched with flour and drops of batter. She smiled her cheerful smile.

"Yoh! Keiko-chaaan!" she grinned. I blinked in confusion. Misato-chan was wearing a violet tank-top, a pair of jeans, and a pair of socks and rabbit slippers. She had a pink and red checkerboard-framed apron on and a small red bandana wrapped around her head.

More shockingly, standing right in front of her was Atticus. He was in depth with something across the stove, his greenish-purple eyes neutral as always. He too wore an apron and had a bandanna wrapped around his head. Better yet…was he cooking? He held onto an old frying pan in his left hand and clutched onto a spatula in the other.

"_Anou_…may I ask…what are you doing?" I asked.

Misato giggled. She surprised me of how much youthful energy she always give out while being 40 years old or so, "Come on in and see for yourself!"

I returned a nod. I walked to one side and approached the door that led into the kitchen. Just as I passed the automatic doors they slid back shut, but I suddenly bolted forward. Huh? Something snagged onto me. I turned to see the edge of my skirt clamped between the teeth of the door. If I hadn't known any better, I thought it could have grinned.

"Ah…Misato−"

"HUY-YA!" Before I knew it a jean-covered leg, with a rabbit slipper, shot up and kicked straight into the door's face. Obediently, the door opened and released my skirt. Though I was free, I could not help a shiver as I blankly stared at Misato-chan lowering her kicking leg, "Tch, that ought'a teach you a lesson." She then turned to me and I practically squeaked, "_Gomene_ _[Sorry]_, Keiko-chan. Most of these doors are kind of old and likes to play little tricks on us…"

I slowly shook my head. Thank goodness there was not a reflection in sight; I could have scared myself if I ever saw how pale my face was.

"Misato. Is it time?" asked Atticus. His voice brought me back to reality and I turned to him. Misato-chan and I approached Atticus from behind and I looked over his shoulder.

"P-pancakes?" I wondered out loud.

Atticus heard my voice and turned to me, his face still passive, "_Ohaiyou_ _gozaimasu_, Keiko-san."  
_[Good morning]_

My cheeks burned red and I shyly looked away, "O-o-_ohaiyou_ _gozaimasu_, Atticus-sama…and Misato-chan…"

"Ah, _ohaiyou_!" smiled Misato-chan. She turned to Atticus, "I think that one is okay. Scoop it up onto a plate and get started with the next one. I'll tell you when to flip it, okay?"

Atticus nodded, "Understood." Without another word, he scooped up the finished pancake with his spatula. From the pan and set the pancake onto a nearby plate. He set aside the spatula to pick up a large bowl of batter. He started to start it.

"_Anou_…Misato-chan…wh-what are you doing with Atticus-sama?" I asked.

Misato giggled as she stood by Atticus' side. She watched him pour in a large spoonful of batter onto the sizzling pan, "Teaching him how to make pancakes, what else?"

I suddenly noticed something. Atticus was standing right in front of me, still cooking. Something did not add up…That was until it hit me.

"EH?! Atticus-sama! You can't be out here! You only have less than eight minutes before you shut down! Please go back and recharge before it's too late!"

Atticus perked his head up and turned to me. Despite his passive expression, I saw confusion in his eyes, "I do not understand."

Suddenly, Misato bawled out with laughter, "HA-HA-HA! Oh Keiko-chan, you're so cute when you're scared." My cheeks turned beet red as Misato-chan turned to me, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes, "Atticus already started making pancakes 20 minutes ago."

"Eh?" I couldn't understand what was going on. That was when Misato-chan gestured me to come closer. I did and she lightly pulled back Atticus' Aegis Cloth jacket from his waist. Huh? A belt? It was no ordinary belt though. It was completely made out of metal and chain-strapping, with several monitoring screens and lights. It lightly hummed, filled with electrical energy.

"This is the Orion Power Belt*," said Misato-chan, "thanks to your hard-work in your research, Nerv was able to use your information to create the new portable battery system for Atticus. He can now walk, run, fight, and do whatever he wants, all under five to six hours."

A wave of relief washed over my body. I let out a sigh and smiled, "That's good to know."

"Thank you."

I perked my head up in surprise and turned to the voice. It was Atticus, his eyes on me. Behind his silent exterior, I felt his thankful will touching me, "Thank you for your help. Keiko-san."

I shyly shook my head, "N-no…not at all…" Soon Atticus turned back to his task and blankly stared at the frying pancake.

"Misato. Is it done yet?" he asked. Misato-chan looked over his shoulder. She hung her left arm around his shoulder and held him close as she examined the pancake.

"Hmmm, let's give it a few more minutes…" she replied.

Atticus nodded, "Understood. Standing by for next phase of task."

Misato-chan grinned and lightly nudged her head against Atticus, "Heh-heh, you do that…"

"_Anou_…Misato…chan?" I wondered, "Are you…Atticus' mother?"

Misato-chan perked her head up with surprise. She turned her head in anxiety and blinked, "Wha-whaaa? What makes you think that?" I didn't know how to answer the question; it just suddenly came out of my mouth without even thinking. I unconsciously stared at her arm around Atticus. She noticed my eyes and nervously stood up straight, waving her hands in innocence.

"No, no! Of course I'm not his mother!" she answered. She stopped waving her hands and gently lowered them to her sides. She turned to stare at Atticus, both dreamily and solemnly. She cracked a faint grin, "His real mother has departed from this world…" I gasped. A cold sting ran down my spine.

"I-I didn't mean to ask…I had no idea…I…" I stuttered. Misato-chan waved a hand at me with a comforting expression.

"Don't be silly, Keiko-chan, you never knew," replied Misato-chan. She let out a sigh, "His mother passed away at childbirth, leaving Atticus and Shinji-kun alone…" I shivered. What a tragic thing to hear…I felt a little guilty for unknowingly bringing up such topic. I was glad that Commander Ikari was not present to hear about it. Misato-chan approached Atticus and rested her right hand on his head. She lightly rubbed his hair, almost motherly-like, "I am his god-mother."

I was surprised. I turned to Atticus for a moment. He had no reaction whatsoever. He simply continued to stare at the pancake on the pan.

"G…god-mother?" I asked. Misato-chan nodded and walked up to me, her hands trailing off of Atticus' head.

"Atticus is a good kid…it's just so sad his family was broken right after he was born…poor kid…" She leaned at a nearby counter-top and turned to me with folded arms, "_Ne_, Keiko-chan."  
_[Hey]_

"Ha…_hai_?" I asked.  
_[Yes?]_

She returned a cheery wink, "Don't tell Atticus up front, okay?"

"Eh?" I turned to Atticus, who was standing no more than half a meter away from us, "But…couldn't he hear us now?"

Misato-chan smirked and narrowed his eyes with an air of mischievousness, "Nah…Whenever he is focused on a particular task, he barely listens to anything other than orders…Observe…"

Misato-chan turned to Atticus. He still blankly stared at the pancake in silence. To my surprise, Misato-chan placed on a very young and girlish voice, "Ooooooiiiii!" Atticus made no reaction, he still stared at the pancake, "Yoohoo! I'm a cute little bunny girl and I wuv you!" No reaction; but I felt a shivered down my spine, "A-tti-cus-chaaaaaaaaaaan!" To my surprise, Atticus didn't even react to his own name. That was when Misato-chan frowned and her eyes narrowed. She spoke out in a flat tone, "Oi, Atticus!"

Atticus perked his head up at the call of his name. He turned and blinked, "_Hai_? Misato."

Misato puffed her cheeks out in annoyance and pouted, "He never likes me calling him with 'chan'…" I tried to hold back a giggle.

"Misato. Is it ready to move on to the next phase?" asked Atticus. Misato pinched her eyebrows together in confusion.

"What phase…." Her eyes widen, "GAH! Atticus! Flip-it! Flip-it! It's overcooked!"

*****

Makoto Hyuga yawned loudly as exhausted tears welled up under his glasses. Together, he walked with Shigeru Aoba and Maya Ibuki down the hall.

"Ah…What a night…Can't believe we could finish up with Atticus' power belt before dawn…" sighed Hyuga. "I'm exhausted…"

Ibuki could not help but nodded off to sleep as she slightly faltered in her step. Aoba stretched out his arms with a groan as he scratched his chin.

"Well there is still one person who refused to chip in with the effort…" grumbled Aoba. He turned to glare over his shoulder, "Right, Ichikawa."

"_Urusai_!"  
_[Shut up!]_

Kiera Ichikawa trailed a few steps after the three. She lowered a thick math textbook from before her face, revealing her properly rested complexion and snarl. Her make-up had been applied again, despite having natural beauty, as a vein throbbed across her forehead.

"I have a stinkin' math test coming up this afternoon! There is no way I can have any chances of passing it if I stayed up several nights in a row!" she growled, "Besides, I won't let the likes of that Keiko-vixen look down on me. She thinks she's so smart, just because she graduated university earlier than I could graduate high school!

Aoba turned to look straight ahead. He ignored her and waved his at her remark, "Yeah - yeah, whatever lazy-bones…" A text-book soared through the air and made its mark across the back of Aoba's head, "OW! HEY YOU BRAT!"

Kiera grimaced at Aoba as she retrieved her text-book from the floor, "You deserved it…"

Suddenly, Hyuga stopped while Aoba and Ibuki continued forward a little. He started to sniff at the air. Aoba noticed Hyuga and stopped as well. He was reluctant enough to help Ibuki stop, before she nearly dozed off and continued forward in her semi-sleepwalk.

"Hey, Hyuga? What's eating you?" asked Aoba. Ibuki wearily turned around. She suddenly awakened to a sweet smell and she started to sniff at the air.

"Hey…do you smell that," she wondered, still exhausted. Kiera ignored them all and stood nearby. She merely buried her face back to studying from the textbook. She took a short moment to flip the text-book right-side up as she groaned.

"Actually…" sniffed Aoba, "I smell it too…"

"Wonder what it is?" asked Hyuga. Soon, all three Nerv Technicians turned to the large door that led into the mess hall, "Is it there?"

"Heh, one way to find out," answered Aoba. Together, Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga started to walk towards the door, with Kiera quietly following in their tracks while reading. As soon as the doors opened, they all stepped in. Then they were suddenly greeted by a kind voice.

*****

"_Irashaimase_, Aoba-san, Ibuki-san, Hyuga-san," I giggled whole-heartedly, "_Ohaiyou_ _gozaimasu_…"  
_[Welcome!]_

Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga blankly stared at me, their mouths wide open.

"Ah, o-_ohayou_…" uttered Hyuga.

"Uh…what's going on here?" wondered Aoba. Ibuki nodded, practically too tired to speak.

I giggled again and smiled, "Come on in and you'll see!" I turned to the kitchen area and called out, "Misato-chan! We need a few more orders!"

Through the kitchen counter gap, Misato-chan returned a thumbs-up, "Oh-kay!"

"O…orders?" wondered Aoba. Before he could asked anymore, I immediately ushered them to a nearby table.

"Please have a seat! Breakfast will be served in a few minutes!" I told them. One by one, they sat down. I finally realized that Kiera was with them just as she bumped into my back. I turned to her as she lowered her text-book a bit for me to see her narrowed eyes. I smiled at her, "_Ohayou_, Ichikawa-san. How are you?" She said nothing. She raised her text-book to hide her face again and brushed right past me. She then sat down next to a half-awake Ibuki. I was curious of Kiera's response, but immediately shrugged it off as I sauntered to the kitchen counter.

"H-hey…you don't suppose that…" wondered Aoba.

"That Misato is the chef?" finished Hyuga flatly. They both fell silent. I turned around with a pair of plates in time to see a queasy blue aura hover over their heads and shoulders. Ibuki on the other hand barely could keep her eyes open for more than a minute. Poor her.

I gently set down the plates to Hyuga and Aoba and quickly ran off to get more.

"Eh?!" cried Hyuga.

"P-pancakes?" uttered Aoba. He groaned, "you're kidding right…I remember she can't even make instant curry properly…"

"Uuuugg," whimpered Hyuga. I returned with more plates and set them down in front of Ibuki and Kiera. Ibuki started to stir awake at the sight of the pancake before her. Kiera on the other hand turned to the next page, muttering calculations under her breath. I was about to tell her that some of her calculations were wrong, when the door to the cafeteria opened again.

"Hm? Did I come at a bad time of any sorts?"

I turned and lightly gasped, "C-Commander Ikari-sama!"

Commander Ikari stood at the doorway and stepped in, with the doors closing behind him. He curiously stared at all of us as he blinked behind his yellow-tinted glasses, "What's going on?"

"Yoh! Shinji-kun!" Misato-chan had popped out of the kitchen with two plates in hand, both having pancakes on them. She grinned, "You're late."

"_Ohaiyou gozaimasu. _Chicchiue_._" Atticus appeared from behind Misato-chan. He carried a single plate with several strands of steam billowing from it.  
_[Chicchue = Father]_

Commander Ikari returned a cheerful grin, "Ah, _ohaiyou_, Atticus."

"Commander Ikari-sama, please have a seat and try this special breakfast!" I said, almost excited as Misato-chan.

"Y-you didn't create it…did you Misato?" whispered Hyuga.

Misato shook her head with a smirk, "Nah, I didn't feel like cooking…but someone special did…"

"Obviously, Keiko-vixen…correct?" muttered Kiera. I had just seated Commander Ikari when I heard her call my name.

"Hm? Me?" I asked.

Kiera slammed her text-book shut and dropped it loudly on the empty seat to her left, "Well, I shouldn't miss this chance to try it then…"

"Chicchue," called Atticus. Commander Ikari turned to his son. Atticus held out a single plate to his father with both hands, "This…is for your." Commander Ikari took the plate in his hands. He looked down at it and suddenly gasped. I too covered my mouth.

The pancake was pitched black…Oh my god…It was cooked to nothing by a black crisp, "A…Atticus-sama?"

"Remind you of something, Shinji-kun?" asked Misato-chan with a faint smile. Commander Ikari said nothing. He stared at the plate in his hands.

"Misato mentioned," spoke Atticus, "that hahaoya…used to make them like this…"  
_[Hahaoya = Mother]_

Misato grinned as she sat down, "Right, Shinji-kuuun?"

After a long and quietly moment, Commander Ikari finally chuckled, "_Ittadakimasu_…"  
_["Let us eat."]_

"_Ittadakimasu_!" we all said, including a whisper from Atticus.

Soon, we all took a bite out of our pancakes. At first silence lingered in the air. As I ate mine, I sort of felt anxiety coming from somewhere. I turned to look around. That was until I nearly broke my teeth by biting on my fork. It was Atticus. Though he looked calm, I saw his nervous anticipation within his greenish-purple eyes. Finally, the silence was broken.

"ECK!" shrieked Kiera. I jumped on the spot and stared at her wide eye. I saw she push away her plate and leered right at…me? She had a half-grin half-grimace on her face as she continued, "This taste horrible! What did you put into it, Keiko-vixen? Poison?!"

I think she made a mistake, "Uh…I didn't…"

"Well of course you didn't literally put poison," guffawed Kiera, "you don't even have the guts to pull of something as dastardly as that! Hah! I bet you mistaken a simple tea cup to be a measuring cup!" She shrugged with an air of arrogance, "Of course little accidents like that are normal for those who rush themselves to finish university…" She practically growled at the end of her sentence.

"Um, Ichikawa-san…I didn't make the pancakes…Atticus-sama did."

Silence returned with a friend: horror. Kiera's expression never changed after I told everyone the truth. Soon, her lips grew paler and paler by the minute. I even caught sight of her rapidly glimpsing at Atticus and Commander Ikari. Aoba hovered his fork over his plate, while Hyuga had his in his mouth. Ibuki was wide awake and calmly blinked as her hand was frozen with her fork. Misato-chan said nothing and had a weary look on her face as she mouthed a piece of pancake. Suddenly, I felt Atticus' anxiety dissipated. What shook my nerves was the presence of absolute dread. I turned around to see him. I gasped. Atticus was standing and facing the farthest corner of the room. A rather large and dark aura of gloom hovered over him.

Kiera's eyes were wide with silent terror. She gulped and slowly stood up, picked up her plate and text-book, and quietly shuffled towards the door.

"Well, I say it taste great!" called out Aoba. Kiera froze and threw an angry glare at Aoba. He grinned as he took another bite, "Trust me, I had all sorts of pancakes several years back and none of them taste as good as this! You've got my pancake-vote any day, Atticus!" The aura around Atticus shrunk a little.

Hyuga happily finished the rest of his plate. He actually had a genuinely joyful grin, "This is amazing! And you don't even need syrup! More please!" The Atticus' gloomy aura shrunk some more.

"Uwah! It's really good! It even got me awake!" cheered Ibuki, completely energetic, "Mind if I have seconds, Atticus? I really, really, like it!"

Misato chuckled as she rested her fork across her empty plate, "Heh, your pancakes can beat my instant curry anytime, Atticus-chan!"

Atticus' aura slowly shrunk bit by bit, but it still consumed his entire body. I smiled, "Thank you very much Atticus-sama…I really enjoyed it." His aura died down only a little, but not enough.

Finally Commander Ikari smiled, "It's…delicious…"

Atticus gasped with wide eyes. His aura of dread shattered like a window at Commander Ikari's words. Slowly, he turned to his father in bewilderment. I turned too, as well as everyone, and I was suddenly caught off guard.

A tear dropped onto the back of Commander Ikari's hand. I couldn't believe it…was he…crying? More tears welled up and rolled down Commander's Ikari's face. He held back his urge to cry as he sniffed back his tears. He choked as he cracked a shaky smile.

"It's…the same…it's…delicious…" stuttered Commander Ikari. Atticus straightened his back and gazed deeply at his father.

"Ha…haoya…" whispered Atticus. Misato-chan simply smiled. Aoba, Ibuki, and Hyuga all exchanged happy grins. Kiera on the other hand was clueless, but kept her silence.

I smiled at Atticus and gently rubbed a small patch of flour from the corner of his left eye. He raised his gaze at me, silent and resign, "Thank you…"

"No…not at all…" I answered.

"Kind of feels like we're a family, eh Atticus?" lightly laughed Misato-chan, "ha-ha, more of a makeshift one don't you say…Shinji-kun?"

Commander Shinji Ikari dabbed the tears away with the back of his white-gloved hand. He returned a short nod and grin, "Ah…a good family…"

"A…family…" whispered Atticus.

Sirens wailed. Red lights blared. Our peaceful moment was shattered in seconds.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**Orion Power Belt:** A specially designed and scaled down portable power-pack in a shape of a metal belt. It is particularly designed for Atticus to allow him to fight freely for a time-limit of 6 - 7 hours, instead of 8 minutes. In the anime series, the Evangelions required constant energy in order to fight the enemy Angels. There was one time where they had portable battery packs to give them power supply, seen in Episode 11: _"The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still"._


	5. Contact 05: We're In This Together, As 1

******Any author-original Characters/Mecha/Items/and others will be tagged with '*'.**

**This is set several years after the following conflict of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, created and owned by Hideaki Anno.**

* * *

__

**Neon Genesis Evangelion: EVA Reborn**

_Contact 05: We're In this Together, As One_

"We are entering Tokyo-3 territory, _Brigadegeneral_," reported a German Tank Pilot, in his mother tongue.

Brigadier-General Pistole Kanone returned a crisp nod and, too, answered in equal language, "Remain steady on course," The Tank Pilot returned a short salute and continued to commandeer their armored vehicle forward.

Pistole sat back in his commander's seat, within a powerful German Leopard 2 Tank. The tank itself was heavily donned with tons of armor plating and sported a high-calibre cannon on its swivelling head. The massive grey behemoth ploughed across the old dirt roads that lead towards the abandoned city of Tokyo-3. The tank itself was followed by a long snake-line of hundreds more, as well as escorted armored transports.

Sent from Germany's military forces himself, Pistole was in-charge of convoying a new shipment of their battle tanks and armored transports to the ranks of the _JSSDF_. It felt strange, thought the Brigadier-General, for the _JSSDF_ to have a sudden loss of armored vehicles to support the backbone of their overall forces. The only reason given was report of an unknown rebel organization that sabotaged their armored corp. To him, it felt an inadequate explanation; the world was already in shambles, who in their right minds would want to bother with politics. Nonetheless, Pistole will carry his orders with the best performance as possible.

"Nothing on scope, _Brigadegeneral_," reported the Tank's Master Gunner.

Pistole sighed, "I would not worry. There is practically nothing for us to fear with these _eisendämonen_ at our disposal…"  
[Iron demons]

Suddenly the ground shook with a massive force. Pistole was forcefully rattled within his seat. He gripped at his seat's arm to hold himself steady from the violent thrashing. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, the ground burst from underneath the earth, near his tank.

An enormous figure rocketed out of the ground and soared high up into the air. It was round in shape, with four stubby legs and claws, and had a giant steel drill attached to the front of his head. Pistole regained his consciousness. He stared at a small plasma screen that was attached to a viewing camera, linked to the outside of the tank. He could not believe what he was watching.

"_Alle kanonen, feuer_!"  
[All cannons, fire!]

Every tank under his command simultaneously pointed up to the sky. Without hesitation, hundreds of cannon-howls wailed into the air. Deadly shells soared into the sky and collided straight at the figure's underside. A shower of explosion rained down. Still, the figure remained unharmed.

It dropped down from the sky and dove deep into the earth. In its wake, the ground swelled up like a giant tidal wave. In a flash, the entire German convoy was consumed by the earthly flood. After a short and quiet moment, nothing else existed except for trees, a freshly made mountain of dirt, and a deep and wide hole in the ground, in the size of a base-ball stadium.

*****

BLUE BLOOD MATCH: CONFIRMED ANGEL.

Aoba, Ibuki, Hyuga, and Kiera all scrambled to their seats in Central Dogma, their main command center. Following right after them was Commander Ikari, who instantly leapt into his seat at the metal desk, and Misato, who had already clamped a chocolate covered Pocky biscuit stick to her mouth. They both stood at the highest platform of the command center and looked at the main screen far off on one wall in front of them.

"Okay everyone," called out Misato. She snapped off the Pocky and quickly munched at it, "sorry to cut our breakfast-special short, but what's the sit'ch?"

"Analyzing," replied Ibuki. Her mind and body were sharply awake again. She could not help a thankful smile when she thought of Atticus' pancakes, "Requiem has been detected 700 km from Section Alpha, outside of Tokyo-3 city limits."

"Confirmed," called out Hyuga. He whirled on his swivel chair to Ikari and Misato, "Dwarf Category! Specializes in subterranean digs and drilling!"

"What's its status?" asked Ikari.

"Not certain at this moment," reported Kiera, "it does not seem to be moving at all."

Ikari fell silent for a second, "Ichikawa-san, open another radar scanner and modify it to check for horizontal layouts."

"_Ryoukai_," called Kiera. Her fingers blazed across her keyboards. Several holographic screens opened and closed at a rapid pace, until a larger one stayed open, "I have it on visual!" She immediately transferred the screen through the computer and it projected itself to the large holographic projection table in the center of Central Dogma.  
[Roger]

The holographic table instantly viewed a 3D imagery that focused on a section of the Earth's crust, positioned outside of Tokyo-3. There was a pulsing red sphere in the center of a drilled out portion of earth.

"Geez, its trying to attack us underground!" hollered Hyuga.

"This isn't good. If we can't stop it before it reaches out of attack range, we're sitting ducks," muttered Aoba. Suddenly the ground lightly shook. Dust started to rain down over everyone. Aoba cursed under his breath, "Spoke too soon."

"The Requiem's position is far out of our maximum launch range for EVA-01 and EVA-02!" reported Ibuki, "Your orders?"

"Aoba-san," called Ikari.

Aoba spun around on his chair, "Hai?!"

"Can you still fly?" wondered Ikari.

Aoba cracked a grin, "Sure can do, Commander!" Without another word, Aoba bolted up from his seat and sprinted straight out of Central Dogma.

Ikari stood up to his feet, his hands balanced across his metal desk, "We will initiate EVA counter attack! We have to stop the Requiem before it can get any closer!"

Everyone in the room returned a salute, even Misato, "_Ryoukai_!"

*****

I shivered with fear as I felt the floor below me bumped up violently. I let out a squeak of fear and threw myself into someone's shoulder. I opened my eyes with surprise as I realized **that** someone…was actually Atticus. He passively blinked as he sat right beside me, without uttering a sound. My body froze as I blushed.

Atticus and I were held inside a strange chamber of a large transport plane. We were currently flying high over Tokyo-3 and towards the located Requiem. Another shiver went down my spine. Oh god…I have to face the nightmare of fighting another monster like that again…

"Do not worry."

I perked my head up with surprise. I stared up at Atticus as he quietly remained seated, "Strike at the enemy with maximum output. I will be your back-up if you cannot handle it alone."

"Atticus-sama…" I whispered.

"YAA-HAAAAAA!"

That sudden voice instantly shattered my air of serenity. I sat back up and peeked into the opened door to the transport's cockpit. I still couldn't believe that the pilot was actually enjoying himself…or that the pilot was actually Aoba.

"HA-HA! Man it's been a while since I've flown!" guffawed Aoba, "Can't believe this old bird is still in good shape! YEE-HAW!"

A sweat drop hovered over my head as I nervously giggled. Suddenly a familiar voice blared loudly on the ship's inter-communication radio.

_[OI! AOBA! THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO BE HAVING FUN!]_

It was Misato-chan. Aoba grimaced and rubbed the back of his head, "Hai, hai…"

_[Atticus, Keiko, please listen carefully,]_ called Misato-chan. Both Atticus and I sat up straight, listening closely, _[The Requiem is starting to make its way underground and it will hit the Geo Front in less than 30 minutes. We need you to stop it from reaching any deeper or we'll have a crisis on our hands. Do you copy?]_

"Understood," Atticus and I answered simultaneously.

_[Good!]_ Soon Misato raised her voice to be more hostile _[Oi Aoba! Make sure they drop down in one piece!]_

"Gaaaht-it!" called back Aoba. Soon, I heard Misato-chan's voice went offline. Wait a minute…drop down in one piece?

"_Anou_…Aoba-san…" I asked, "What did she meant by−"

"Hang on!" cried Aoba. Suddenly the entire ship dipped to one side. I felt my body lurching forward from the sudden drop of angle. I had not choice but to hold onto Atticus, who was perfectly fine while calmly sitting in his seat, "Okay we're coming around the Requiem's digging site. Stand-by!"

The ship rumbled as it rapidly dropped down into the air. I held onto Atticus tightly. He said nothing, but wrapped an arm securely around me. I couldn't help blushing as I bury my red cheeks against his chest.

"Okay! We're right above it!" Aoba turned to us with a grin, "You ready for this Atticus?"

"Standing by," nodded Atticus. Suddenly the door to the transport slid wide open. The air rushed and swirled within the chamber as the transport shook again. I could not believe my eyes.

"WE'RE JUMPING OFF?" I shrieked, unable to control my terror, "WITHOUT PARACHUTES?!"

Aoba grinned at me with a thumbs-up, "With Atticus, there's no such thing as parachutes. Go for it you two!"

"_Ryoukai_," answered Atticus. He suddenly held me in his arms and practically lifted me off my feet. I shook uncontrollably, unable to either scream or think. The only words that constantly repeated in my head, as I held onto Atticus as tightly as I can, were: _'Don't let go.'_

Without another word, Atticus held onto me and he ran straight for the open door. Soon, we were flying straight down to Earth. I struggled to peek over Atticus' shoulder. The transport rapidly shrunk and instantly disappeared into the distance. I choked as my throat tried to swallow.

"Keiko-san. It will feel better if you synchronize with your inner one," whispered Atticus clearly, despite our free-fall.

I returned a pale nod and shut my eyes tight. At first I felt nothing but fear. Soon, I felt my body drop under a cold and calm lake. A bright blue dream enveloped everything around me.

*****

Keiko's eyes flashed electrifying blue. Atticus released Keiko from his hold and held onto her left hand. Together they dropped straight down to the ground.

With a final screech, they both landed onto the ground. The earth collapsed into a pair of large craters under their fall. The trees and exposed tanks shook and crumbled violently. As quick as it happened, everything fell silent.

Atticus raised his gaze with Keiko. He examined the area around him. There was nothing but freshly turned-over dirt. Silent tanks were buried alive as their stained iron hide were exposed under the dirt mounds. He turned to look in front of him. A giant hole was seen before his position as he stood up to full height.

"This is EVA-01, Atticus and EVA-02, Keiko-san. We have entered mission area. Awaiting orders," he said. He waited for a reply as he listened closely to his radio device clipped to his ear.

_[This is###sato###Ca###me###?]_ called out Misato's voice through heavy static.

"Misato. There is a strong interference here. Do you copy?" asked Atticus. He turned to look at Keiko. She her eyebrows cringed as she had her head lowered. She flinched in silent pain as she held onto her head. A hand rested onto her right shoulder and she perked her head up. She turned to Atticus, who returned a short nod, "The interference will affect your level of synchronization and will cause mental stress. Just stay focus as much as you can and you will be alright. Our full combat performance will not be complicated."

Keiko fell silent for a moment. She returned a quiet nod and ignored the pain with everything she had. Atticus' ear suddenly picked up a loud and almost clear voice.

_[Hey###Can you hear me###Atticus?]_ called Kiera's voice, _[Wait#####...Got it! That's should do it! I've just boosted our frequency strength to maximum output and had no choice but to hack onto a nearby UN satellite to double the linking power. The Requeim's digging must be interfering with out communications…It must be getting close…]_

"Orders?" asked Atticus.

Kiera lightly laughed, _[What else? Kick – its – butt – __**before**__ it hits us!]_

"Understood. Moving to…" Atticus trailed off as he saw Keiko suddenly collapsing to her knees. She clenched her teeth in sheer pain as she held onto her head, "Keiko-san?"

_[Eh? What's wrong with Keiko-vixen?]_ asked Kiera.

"It hurts…it hurts…" whimpered Keiko. Atticus knelt down to her side and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"What is−" The giant drilling Requiem shot out of the ground like a blood-thirsty shark. A loud howl shook the skies and shattered the thin strand of Keiko's mental focus.

*****

I suddenly woke up from my synchronization. How come? I couldn't figure out the answer, but my head was wracking with pain.

"Evasive manoeuvres!"

Huh? Before I had a chance to realize that voice belonged to Atticus, a pair of strong arms shoved me far to one side. I scraped and rolled across the dirt mound, far from where I was kneeling a moment ago.

Just as I regained my balance on my knees, I looked up. My eyes widen and I gasped. A giant machine with four short legs and a massive Earth-ripping drill flew over onto Atticus; a demon from the earthly sea…

"Atti−" My words remained incomplete to the event that followed after.

The machine dove into the ground, extremely close in front of Atticus, and instantly disappeared under the ground. The earth shattered and collapsed under Atticus' feet. He started to fall.

Without thinking, I bolted to my feet and ran as fast as I could. I could have sworn that half of my body was dipped in that cold lake, the sensation running across my legs. I skidded to a halt and leapt forward at the hole's edge. I shot my hand out at Atticus as he started to drop inside.

"Atticus-sama!" My hand reached out as far as I could. Atticus too stretched his hand out. Our hands grabbed at one another, but only our fingers touched one another. Soon, Atticus' hand slipped away from mine. Finally, he disappeared into the black abyss.

I laid there at the edge of the hole, shocked. I was completely speechless at what had happened. My empty hand clenched into a tight fist and I pulled it close to my face. Tears welled out in my eyes and I let out a scream.

"A – TTI – CUS – SAAAMAAAAAAAAA!"

*****

"Atticus! Atticus! ATTICUS!" cried Ikari. Sweat poured down over his forehead and he wiped it off with the back of his white-gloved hand. His eyes were wide with terror. Even Misato stood in worried silence, ignoring her weak body's shiver from her anxiety, "Ichikawa! Can we get through to Atticus?!"

Aoba appeared at the doorway of Central Dogma. He looked concerned at Ikari's expression as he entered. Aoba quickly pried off his flight jacket, tossed it to one side, and plopped right into his seat.

Kiera shook her head at Ikari's question, but continued typing across her keyboard, "I can't. He's deep inside the Requiem's tunnel! The interference from both the Requiem's digging and the subterranean magnetism is extremely powerful! I don't even know if he is dead or alive!"

"Please keep trying!" exclaimed Ikari. His body shivered in absolute fear and dread. He gritted his teeth, holding back frightened tears, "Atticus…please…don't leave me…" A hand rested on Ikari's shoulder. He was taken aback by surprise and he turned. He came eye to eye with Misato. She grinned and squeezed her hand on his shoulder.

"We have to believe in Atticus. He always gets the job done…he knows we're waiting for him…" whispered Misato.

Ikari was quiet for a moment. He then had a faint smile on his face. Suddenly, Central Dogma shook to a short and powerful quake.

"The Requiem is getting closer to Geo Front! We have less than 10 minutes before it reaches us!" hollered Hyuga.

A horrifying silence took over the commander center. Quickly, Ikari broke that silence.

"Raise the alarms! Evacuate every personnel to the nearest escape routes and pods! Everyone in Central Dogma, immediately abandon your posts and leave!"

"WHAT?!" screeched the four bridge bunnies. Several technicians rose from their seats and made their way to the exit. Only the bridge bunnies remained seated.

"What are you doing?" demanded Ikari, "I said−"

"We're not leaving until Atticus leaves with us!" cried Ibuki. Ikari gasped with shock.

Aoba spun back to his main computer, "I am with Ibuki on that one. Atticus is no coward and neither am I!"

"We'll do what we can to delay the Requiem as we try to make contact with Atticus!" replied Hyuga.

"Hm…sorry Commander but I still owe Atticus an apology, and I am not abandoning my post until he hears it personally," replied Kiera in a quiet tone.

"…Why are you doing this…" uttered Ikari.

"Don't worry, Shinji-kun," ginned Misato, "after all, we are a family…let's bring Atticus home…"

Ikari was stunned with silence. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief. He stretched a confident smile, "Thank you…everyone."

*****

EVA-01, Atticus, slowly descended deeper and deeper into the Dwarf Requiem's abyss. His eyes were closed, nearly on the brink of unconsciousness. He heard nothing, saw nothing, and felt nothing, as his body merely plummeted into the dark beyond.

'_Why do I exist in this world?'_

'_Why do I fight?'_

As Atticus continued to fall head-first down the abyss, he slowly stirred as if to awaken.

'_Why am I alive when I was not supposed to be?'_

'_Why am I fighting when I face impossible odds?'_

"A…family…" whispered Atticus.

'_That is true…'_

Atticus flew down even deeper and deeper into the abyss. The light started to retreat from above as he pulled away from its farthest reaches.

'_I live for one purpose…'_

Atticus stirs awake again. He clenches his right fist.

'_I fight for one reason…'_

The Aegis Cloth of Atticus sent several strands of light across his body, pulsing neon green lights to full capacity.

'_And that reason…'_

"Chichiue – Misato – Aoba – Hyuga – Ibuki – Ichikawa – Keiko…" Finally, Atticus opened his eyes. They resonated with greenish-purple energy, "…Hahaoya…"

'…_is to protect my family…'_

Suddenly, Atticus crashed landed into the bottom of the abyss. A giant explosion of dust and clouds roared up into the air. The dust quickly settled after the crash and began to clear the bottom of the torn vertical tunnel. Without a second wasted, the Dwarf Requiem emerged from the ground below. It pulled itself out of the rocky dirt and stood on its hind legs. It let out an earth-quaking howl, with its drill spinning eagerly to tear apart its prey.

*****

"I'm reading a powerful energy spike, in the bottom of the Dwarf Requiem's tunnel!" reported Ibuki. A screen appeared before her displaying an orange chart with a massive peaking red cone, which practically stretched out of the chart.

"Is it the Requiem?!" wondered Ikari.

"N-no it's…" Ibuki gasped. She whirled around with happy tears in her eyes, "It's the reading of EVA-01!" Ikari's and Misato's eyes widen with hope.

Ikari bolted forward across his desk with a wide smile, "ATTICUS!"

*****

From the earth, a figure stood up to his full height. Dirt and rocks rolled off of a boy who wore a unique purple, green, and black clothing, as neon-green light pulsed across it. He opened his resonating greenish-purple eyes and stared up at the monstrous Requiem before him.

"Target Requiem confirmed: Dwarf Category," whispered the boy, "EVA-01, Atticus. Engaging with maximum output."

Atticus instantly ran straight at the Requiem. It let out another howl and trusted its drilling nose straight at him.

"AT Field…Unleash!" called Atticus. The drill suddenly impacted against a powerful energy field that flashed hexagonal stripes of light across its flat surface. For a moment, the Requiem actually shivered in terror.

*****

"Another energy spike detected!" called out Ibuki.

Hyuga gasped as a screen popped up to his eyes, "I-it can't be!" He whirled around to face Ikari and Misato with a pale expression, "It's an AT Field!"

Ikari and Misato gasped with shock, so did Aoba and Ibuki. Kiera ignored them, not knowing the meaning behind the word. She continued to adjust communication frequency to contact Atticus.

"A-An Absolute Terror Field?" breathed Ikari.

"That can't be possible!" exclaimed Misato, "Requiems only have Prism Barricades! There is no way…" She trailed off when a thought hit her. A shiver went down her spine as her eyes were wide with bewilderment, "N-no…that's not true…"

"Atticus," whispered Ikari. He lowered his gaze a little, "you're getting closer…to Absolute Zero."

"Ah! Atticus' power meter is rising off the charts!" shrieked Ibuki.

*****

"EEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH – HAAAH!"

With a powerful push, Atticus sent the Dwarf Requiem flying off several inches from the ground with his force-field. He lowered the flashing orange field and zipped right under the belly of the Requiem.

He swiped up a deadly right fist in a slashing uppercut. It struck square right into the center of the Requiem's underbelly. The machine doubled over and croaked a gasp. With every ounce of strength, inside of his small human body, Atticus leapt up into the air, driving the Requiem skyward before him. A deadly cyclone filled the empty spaces of the tunnel. It soon forced the subterranean walls to cave in with a deafening roar.

*****

I shrieked as my foot slipped against the dirt below me. I hugged myself as close to the wall as possible. I had to save Atticus, no matter what happens on the way down. I had started to climb down the Requiem's hole, slowly journeying deeper into the frightening abyss. My body shivered with fear. I hate dark and deep places and I remember I have a phobia of caves. But no matter what, I thought to myself, I had to get down there to find Atticus.

Suddenly, the world around me shook again. My hands and feet slipped from the wall. Fear shot up my spine as I felt my body drop. Before I even realize what happened, I landed onto a hard surface and I felt my body pressed against it. It was unbelievable; I felt gravity crushing me as whatever I had land on rose higher and higher.

"Keiko-san!"

I opened my eyes, just as I felt the surface came to a slow stop in the air. As the falling sensation crept up my spine, I turned to my right. A dark purple and green blur shot right at me. I felt arms scoop under and picked me up. I could not resist but clung onto a familiar purple jacket. I looked up with a gasp, tears of joy flooded into my eyes.

"Atticus-sama!"

Atticus held me close in his arms. With a jump, we both leapt off of the falling surface and down through the air. We dropped down at an accelerated rate. Such frightening speed would have made me scream, but…I ignored everything else. I thought of nothing else but how relieved I was to see Atticus alive right before me…to be held by him again.

*****

Ikari bolted forward across his desk. His eyes wide with amazement, "Atticus! Can you here me?!"

_[Loud and clear. Chicchiue,]_ replied Atticus through the cleared radio-link, _[I have forced the Requiem to the surface. Your orders?]_

Misato grinned, "Tear it to shreds."

*****

"Understood," replied Atticus, as we fell. He turned to me, "Are you ready?"

I immediately closed my eyes and let the cold sensation drench over me again.

*****

Keiko opened her eyes, burning bright blue again. She spoke in an emotionless tone.

"Hai."

"_Ryoukai_," replied Atticus, "beginning counter-attack."

Atticus released Keiko and they both flew away from one another. In seconds, Atticus landed onto the ground and looked up. The Requiem slowly spun around and aimed its drill straight at him.

Atticus stretched out both hands to his sides. Purple metal gauntlets transformed around his arms and pieced themselves together. He immediately brought them forward. Instantly, he grasped at the tip of the charging drill. Sparks danced under his metal grip, but Atticus continued to hold on, unfazed. He forced his grasp tighter around the drill and it screeched to a stop. The Requiem was frozen in mid-air, but suddenly it spun around from its own repelled drilling force.

"Keiko-san," whispered Atticus. Keiko descended from the sky and flipped through the air. She landed right on top of a tank's head, which dust rapidly cleared away under her descent. The tank flinched and blasted off a surviving tank round, before the entire vehicle collapsed into a scrap heap. The shot sailed and struck the Requiem dead-on, as it still spun uncontrollably.

Keiko leapt over onto another tank and it howled off another shot. She rapidly jumped from tank-to-tank, each landing invoked a deadly bark of their guns. Every shot struck the Requiem at every side, letting it wail out in pain and dizziness.

Atticus finally used all of his strength and tossed the Requiem directly into the sky. With a mighty leap, he too soared straight into the sky. The Requiem balanced itself into the air, its drill glinted under the sun. It transformed as it started to descend, into its Goliath form. The drill unwounded to expose a pair of hands, which made metal arms separate to the Requiem's side. It turned into a giant human titan with bulky armored legs and arms. Atticus continued to soar upward. His back extended his mechanical wing-like engines.

_[GO FOR IT ATTICUS!]_ cried Kiera.

"**EVANGELION OVERDRIVE:** X-CALIBER BREAKER!"

Wings of light flared brilliantly behind Atticus, forcing his speed to increase as he rose. He turned into a burning white comet as he flew straight up at the Requiem. The Requiem raised up a blue diamond barrier, its Prism Barricade. Atticus broke right through the barrier as if it were glass and continued upward. The Requiem rapidly spun its right hand into a deadly orange drill and lashed down.

Atticus tore right through its drill like a bullet. Splintered and scrapped metal flew everywhere. In sheer seconds, Atticus flew right through the Requiem's arms and bolted right through its chest.

A magnificent explosion erupted into a floating and fiery orb. The wind swept across the earth like a flood and split apart the clouds. A deafening boom nearly shattered the sky. Soon all fell silent.

Keiko leapt off of a mangled tank and onto the ground. She looked up into the sky and seemed to have waited. Shortly, a figure descended from above and gently landed right in front of her. Keiko smiled as her blue eyes faded back to normal.

*****

"Atticus-sama…" I breathed. My body felt limp as I swayed forward. Atticus caught me in his arms and held onto me. It happened again, my body being unable to move after synchronizing…I need to get used to it soon.

I wearily nudged my head a little higher to look up at Atticus. He stared at me with a passive gaze, "_Tadaima_…Keiko-san…"  
[I'm back]

I weakly and nervously giggled, "_Okairinasai_…Atticus-sama…"  
[Welcome back]

Finally, I smiled and slowly felt my mind slipping off into a deep sleep.

*****

Ikari plopped himself onto his chair.

Misato finally let out breath and sat on the desk in front of him.

Aoba chuckled as he dropped and tapped his forehead onto his desk in exhaustion.

Ibuki laid back in her chair and rested a tired arm across her fore-head with a sigh.

Hyuga grinned as he took off his glasses and rubbed his nose bridge.

Kiera softly sighed and lightly sat back in her chair with a smile.

"Hah…Finally our nightmares are over…for now that is," finally spoke Misato.

Ikari nodded and took off his yellow-tinted glasses and set them on the desk, "Ah…"

Kiera patted her cheeks to awaken her senses, "Okay Atticus. We'll send a chopper over to pick you up…and Keiko-vixen…"

_[Ichikawa-san,]_ replied Atticus, _[how did your examination go?]_

Kiera raised an eyebrow, "What examinations?"

_[Misato mentioned that you have a Math examination. About exactly 58 minutes ago.]_

Kiera blinked, practically confused. That was when a thought hit her as hard as she could throw a book at Aoba. She scrambled out of her seat, tripping over and falling loudly to the floor. She picked herself up and ran straight for the door, but stopped just as it opened. She scurried back to her desk and rummaged for papers, pencils, and her math-textbook. In less than a second she exited Central Dogma with a pale expression, while carrying a physics text-book. Finally, the door slid to a close.

Silence filled the room at first. Hyuga stifled a chuckle. Ibuki bit her lip from laughing. Aoba slowly shook with laughter. Misato placed a hand over her mouth, while her cheeks expanded.

"BWAAHAHAHAHAAAA!" screeched Misato, unable to control her laughter. Automatically, everyone loudly burst out laughing. Hyuga rolled side to side in his seat in a laughing fit. Ibuki still tried to hold back her giggles by covering her mouth. Aoba let out his roar of humour, almost triumphantly. Ikari was quiet as the laughter ensued, his hands folded in front of his mouth.

Finally, his lips stretched into a smile and he chuckled under his breath.

*****

A whistle flew into the quiet winds. It came from a pair of lips that formed into the shape of an arrogant smirk.

"Heh, not bad for a flashy performance…Don't you agree C?"

"Indeed, Basil…it seems father's oppositions are not the ones to be taken lightly."

Basil stood up straight while he was at the edge of a skyscraper's rooftop. He glared at the outer bounds of the city, where his eyes watched the entire fight from the German convoy to the very end.

"Who would have thought that the guys KIA'ing the doc's toys were none other than guys like us…" smirked Basil.

Constantine stood next to Basil's side at the edge of the rooftop. He examined the area's aftermath of the previous battle. He glimpsed at a Nerv chopper that whizzed right by him and Basil, as it made its way passed the city-limits and towards the site.

"Hm-hm, this young friend is not entirely like us…yet he does possess extraordinary talent…Intriguing," thought Constantine.

Basil scoffed, "Tch, I would so love to have a one-on-one ring-match with this guy…if pop's hadn't told me not to…"

Constantine chuckled, "Either way, we have successfully completed what we were asked to do. In the end, father will at least be happy of our results."

"Ehh, maybe you're right…" grumbled Basil. He spun around on his heels and strode off from the edge of the rooftop, "Come on, C, or I'll miss _'City Undercover'_…"

"Hm? You mean that police-story television show?" wondered Constantine, "What is so special about this so-called TV drama?"

"Everything!" Basil shot a grin at Constantine from over his shoulder, "It's got guns, car chases, explosions, murder mysteries, and more explosions! There's nothing else that can beat stuff like that! Besides, today's the last episode!" Basil turned his entire body around and placed on a frown, "It's better than staring at a bo…b-b…bo…back?"

"Books," corrected Constantine with a smile, "Actually I enjoy reading books. They granted me a chance to experience the lives of others; a new gateway to different worlds of imagination…it's really quite fascinating."

Behind Basil, a black and silver helicopter appeared from below the building's rooftop they stood on. A door opened from its side, with a silver and gold symbol painted across its black iron hide: SeL Inc. Basil turned, waved a lazy hand over his shoulder at Constantine's remark, and strode toward the hovering helicopter.

"Yeah, yeah, what'ev…" muttered Basil. He nonchalantly leapt over the groundless gap from the roof's edge and into the helicopter. Constantine walked towards the helicopter as well, but stopped and turned around. His gentle eyes twinkled under the sun as he stared at the spot where the Requiem was destroyed.

He chuckled, "I can't wait to meet you…my intriguing friend…"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**A**_**bsolute**_** T**_**error**_** Field**: In the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, AT Fields are known to be special barriers that can be possible to cancel out, or reduce, attacks and damage brought upon an Angel or an Evangelion. It is also known that humans (in reference to people in the Anime) all have AT fields to hold their own will and become individual entities from one another. Hence the Human Instrumentality Project, where Seele and Gendo's original goal is to unite all human beings into one divine life-form. For more accurate information, please check Wikipedia: Neon Genesis Evangelion (Anime).

**KIA:** In Military terms it stands for 'Killed in action'. KIA'ing is somewhat mentioned in a slang-like manner, mostly mentioned by Basil.

***

_A special thank you to_ Final Poke Mario Fan_, for the correction of the Japanese term for father 'Chicchue'._


End file.
